My Obsession Part 1: Will of the Hougyoku
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Byakuya is relentlessly pursued by a lovely and dangerous, masked suitor who wants no more than to keep alive the wilder side of the young Kuchiki heir. But beneath their mutual obsession is a horrid threat, called the hougyoku...mpreg/angst
1. The Test

**My Obsession**

**By Spunky0ne**

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**_(This story is written for geecee, who has been a wonderful supporter of my work and is always sending cute Aizen/Bya pics she makes. Geecee requested several times a story that included Aizen/Teen Bya, heavy on the smex. I have also blended in a wonderful suggestion by sanishou for an Aizen/Bya where Byakuya senses the presence and danger of the hougyoku early on and later tries to help Aizen free himself from it. This story begins on the night of Byakuya's eighteenth birthday, upon his official naming as sixth division fukutaichou and heir to the Kuchiki clan. This will begin as an obsession that will progress into love later. But at the beginning, it is Aizen after the young, beautiful and sexually naïve young Kuchiki heir. The story is inspired by one of my favorite classic rock songs by Animotion…named Obsession, of course. Check out the lyrics and see if they don't send a few chills!)_**

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**Chapter 1: The Test**

Aizen Sousuke stood quietly among the guests in the sweet scented and beautiful gardens at Kuchiki Manor, a glass of champagne in his hand and his eyes following the honoree, Kuchiki Ginrei's grandson, Kuchiki Byakuya, as he made his way carefully from guest to guest, personally greeting each and sharing a few words, before smiling, bowing and dutifully moving on to the next. He was a stunning young man, from the black silken lengths of his hair, to the smoky gray eyes, delectable, white flesh, slender body and the swell of power around him. Aizen was aware he was the pride of the Kuchiki clan, and of the old taichou who stood near him, nodding in approval as Byakuya mingled with the guests.

But in his observances, not to say that he had watched the youth obsessively, but he _had_ noticed that, although Byakuya certainly walked the path they laid out before him, turning and bending according to their dictates, he sensed every so often, a wilder, more undisciplined boy beneath the surface, long submerged and, if things went on as they were, likely to disappear entirely. He mourned that it should be so…that a person with such fire inside should be forced into such a lackluster mold.

Byakuya deserved better…

But as of yet, Aizen Sousuke was at a loss for what to do about that fact. His mind was filled with wickedly beautiful dreams in which he took the youth captive, bound him in lovely golden ropes and tormented him with every sexual pleasure he could imagine. And that lovely mouth in his dreams started the experience with polite protests, then louder, more belligerent ones…then outright threats. Only after much plundering did it soften and admit in a trembling voice how much he desired such release…how it fed him and kept him alive in a world that tried always to suffocate him with expectations and responsibilities.

"Good evening, Aizen taichou," Byakuya said, inclining his head.

He longed to free the lovely, satin black hair from the confining kenseiken, to make those pretty gray eyes widen and that pale body shudder with bliss…

"Good evening, Kuchiki fukutaichou," he answered, nodding, "Congratulations on your naming and your promotion."

"Arigato," Byakuya said quietly, "Thank you for joining us tonight."

"It is my pleasure," Aizen said, his mind dreaming of laying the young noble across his bed, baring all of that lovely, white flesh and tasting it slowly.

The scent of sakura fell over his senses as the youth turned away, and Aizen Sousuke felt his cock harden and throb softly. He continued to watch out of the corner of one deceptively gentle brown eye as Byakuya continued to work his way around the room, and Aizen entertained sweet, heady daydreams of seeing that bowed head lowered between his parted thighs, to feel that mouth wrapped around his thickened length, sucking him…licking the long shaft with his eyes half-closed and his hands spread on his elder lover's inner thighs. He longed to feel his body seize with pleasure, and to empty himself into that pretty, pouting mouth, to watch him swallow his lover's seed as though starving for it, to moan and thrash and beg to be taken, and to wrap those pretty white legs around him and plead for him to thrust in harder and faster…deeper…

"You may want to stop staring," said the young, silver-haired youth at his side, "You look as though you want to devour him where he stands. Interesting. I wonder sometimes why you chose me instead of him. He is powerful…beautiful, and I know for a fact that he is a virgin. He's just waiting to be swept off his feet, and didn't you say that we would need some more strong supporters, Aizen taichou?"

"I did, Gin," he said quietly, the ache in his loins teasing a sigh out of him as he continued to eye Byakuya, "But he is not one who would be useful in my plans. He is too much a part of _them_. And I would not be able to control such a strong willed one easily."

"Should I be insulted?" asked Gin, smiling, "I don't think I like the suggestion of…"

"I wasn't referring to you, Gin. I was referring to those who serve me because I have dominated their minds, not the ones who follow willingly. Byakuya would not follow me of his own free will, and I will not ruin him by forcing him into yet another path against his will. _They _are already ruining him…"

"Yes, too bad, that," noted Gin, "He really is beautiful, high spirits, when he's not acting the part of their perfect little heir."

"This is part of what makes me so despise the noble class," breathed Aizen, shaking his head, "To take one of such fine spirits and power and to shackle him like that. It is a travesty…not that he would ever rebel."

A sinful smile crept onto his lips.

"Not consciously anyway," he mused, touching the zanpakutou his illusions concealed on his hip.

He slipped away from Gin, leaving his image behind, and he walked to where Byakuya was chatting with several Kuchiki cousins. A touch of his power left an image of him still there with them, while Aizen lured the young noble out the gate and onto the forest path. He led Byakuya up to a clearing, where a grove of sakura trees stood near the edge of a cliff. A lovely waterfall rained down into a pretty blue lake. He stopped Byakuya beneath the trees and stood in front of him.

"Is…someone there?" the youth breathed.

Aizen felt the youth's reiatsu touch him lightly and he wrapped his power around Byakuya, pulling him in closer. The Kuchiki heir looked through him, not seeing him, but flinched and took a soft, surprised breath as he felt a soft kiss being placed on his lips.

"You don't really enjoy this…these things they make you do…do you?" he whispered in Byakuya's ear, extending his tongue, teasing a pale earlobe and smiling as Byakuya shivered at the sensation.

"What is happening?" the noble whispered, "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

He ran his tongue up the long, graceful throat and Byakuya's legs weakened beneath him.

"Do you want to have an escape from them, Byakuya?" Aizen hissed softly.

"An…escape?" the youth repeated, "No…no, I…"

"I will not take you from them," breathed Aizen, licking the noble's sweet lips, "I only mean to give you a place where you are free of expectations. You have high spirits that they are slowly crushing, Kuchiki Byakuya. I think you know this."

"I…I…who are you?"

He grabbed the youth tightly and fastened his mouth on Byakuya's. The noble gasped and began to struggle in his arms.

"Let me go! Let me go! I'll…"

"They don't even know you are gone," Aizen said, running his tongue up the soft, white throat again and making Byakuya's legs quake beneath him.

His hand slid down Byakuya's frozen form, inside his clothing and gently cupped his awakening hardness. The young noble started to object, but lost his breath as a hand he couldn't see wrapped around his length and stroked it heavily as Aizen's mouth took his and the elder shinigami thrust his tongue deeply inside the young noble's mouth. Byakuya's eyes glazed over and his lips began to move against Aizen's. The hands that had been trying to push him away, tightened on him as the two exchanged a torrent of deep, voracious kisses.

"Who are you?" Byakuya asked again, "Why are you doing this? I am not stupid. I know there are those who would…"

"I want nothing but that we should explore each other. As I said, I will not take you from them. I know you are bound tightly to their plans for you. But as you spend your long days giving them the well-behaved, polished young man they desire, wouldn't you enjoy having nights exploring your wilder passions, Byakuya?"

There was a long pause as Byakuya seemed to struggle with himself.

"Show yourself," Byakuya panted softly, "Let me see you."

Aizen cupped his cheek and kissed him more gently.

"Not yet, my love," he breathed against the noble's parted lips, "This is more fun, ne? It is an adventure of sorts. I will come to you tonight and we will get to know each other better."

"And what if I refuse?" the noble youth asked, "Will you merely attack me at will?"

Aizen sighed and looked down into Byakuya's lovely face, tracing its curves with his fingertips.

"I am not one of them," he said quietly, "I will not take you by force, or try to finesse you. Think about this, Byakuya. Think about how it feels to be held tightly, to be kissed with passion, to be touched with such intensity. I promise you that if you welcome me when I come to you tonight, you will know rapturous pleasure. You will know glorious, gripping release. You have never been loved as I will love you. Only leave your garden doors open and I will come to you."

He slipped away then, leaving Byakuya staring out over the water, and he returned to the party. He smiled as he saw Byakuya slip back into the gardens to resume his greetings, and to search each visitor's face, wondering…_Is it him?_

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Byakuya watched as the last of the guests left the manor, his mind whirling as he thought back to what had happened during the party. He hadn't even realized he had been led away until he stood at the top of the waterfall and had felt those hungry lips take his, that masked voice caress his mind, those hands explore his body. He knew it was wrong to surrender himself so blindly, to welcome in someone who refused to show himself. It was dangerous…reckless…heedless.

And yet, even knowing those things, the man's words latched on to a part of him that he worried was slowly fading away. As rules and regulations, expectations and order claimed the bulk of his life, here was someone who would make up for that when night fell, someone who would welcome the part of him that the noble class wanted to erase. He felt tears in his eyes, thinking about how it hurt that the wilder side of his spirit was so unwelcome. But here was a man who would more than welcome that side of him. He would embrace it wholeheartedly and indulge it relentlessly. He, of course, sensed that the man was dangerous. There was a darkness in his reiatsu that sent a shiver down Byakuya's spine. But he hadn't asked for the young noble to do anything that would interfere with his duties or dishonor him. In fact, he had evinced a desire to work around the dictates of his noble relatives, to make a time and a place that would be their own.

"I can't…" he whispered.

"Gomen?" said his attendant, cocking his head to the side questioningly.

"Oh, it is nothing, Torio," he said, a blush rising on his face and throat, "I was just…thinking aloud. Come, I am ready for a hot bath."

He and Torio walked back to the bathing room together. Byakuya stood quietly at the edge of the large, warm pool of water as Torio undressed him, then followed him out to the waterfall. Byakuya let the hot water splash down onto his bared skin, closing his eyes and sighing as he remembered the feel of those hands touching him, the wonderfully rough kisses, and the beautiful words the man said to him. It made him feel beautiful and desirable…loved. And that, he thought, was a dreadfully rare feeling.

Thinking about it left him with a hungry ache in his body. He longed to touch himself, to let his hand drift downward, to stroke himself as his invisible lover had. He wanted to feel pleasure overtake him, to feel his body seize with pleasure and the warm, wet pulses of his own release. He wanted to touch and taste that other person's body, to kiss the man's unyielding lips, to touch his swollen cock, to feel the heat of another body pressed to his…

He shivered under Torio's hands, and he was glad that his unbearably hard erection lay beneath the riled water, where his servant could not see it. The only problem was that Torio wouldn't be able to help seeing it when he left the bathing pool. Not that he would say anything. His servant was trained not to…but it still felt wrong to show that side of himself to anyone.

_Yet I strongly desire to show it to this man I cannot even see. Why? What is wrong with me?_

"Are you all right, Kuchiki-sama?" asked Torio.

"Yes," he answered solemnly.

He spent the next several minutes forcing himself to think about a presentation to the council of elders, his new responsibilities as a fukutaichou, _anything_ to keep him from thinking about the man who wanted to come to meet him in his room that night.

He wouldn't leave the doors open, of course. It would be wrong. And it would be dangerous. If the man could simply walk past his guards, get into the house at will, then he was a horribly dangerous person. But he wasn't going to break into Byakuya's room. He asked instead for Byakuya to leave the doors open. Not, the noble sensed, because he couldn't otherwise trespass, but…he chose to respect Byakuya's decision on the matter. He had the option to choose this or to refuse it. It wasn't like the expectations that were forced on him from morning until night. This was his option…to take or to leave it. He wondered for a moment if he should test the man by leaving the doors closed and seeing if he would respect that choice.

But when he had dressed and returned to his room, after Torio had given him his evening tea and wished him good-night, he walked to the closed doors and stood facing them, looking out into the gardens. He thought deeply about the feel of the man's hands on his body, the lips that had feasted on his and had plundered the soft skin of his throat and teased his earlobe. He closed his eyes, remembering, and felt his soft penis begin to swell and lengthen. He wanted…oh, he _so longed_ to be touched again that way! He wanted to be held tightly and kissed so hard he could barely breathe. He wanted the man to touch him everywhere, and to hear that carefully altered voice whispering affectionate words to him.

"What shall I do?" he asked softly, and opened his eyes to look at his dark reflection in the glass.

His image looked back at him with silent dignity, awaiting his decision with a hopeful glimmer in his shadowy eye.

"I want to…" he whispered, blinking slowly.

He froze as his eyes opened and saw the man standing outside the door…in plain sight of the oblivious guards. His breath quickened as he studied the man's masked face. He could tell that the man had dark hair and fine, gentle features, but could not recognize him. He sensed the man's power was distorting his perception and his eyes narrowed.

"Open the doors," he mouthed almost silently, "Byakuya."

Byakuya stared back at him.

"What will you do if I do not?" he asked softly, "Will you break them down?"

The man gave him a smile that threatened to make him melt, then and there.

"If you do not, then I will return here each night to ask again. And I will wait until you want me to come to you, Byakuya. I will not force myself on you. I do not desire that."

"Really?" the noble youth said, not quite believing.

Despite his longing to feel the man's touch again, he turned away and walked back to his bed. He stopped beside it and looked back at the masked man, then slowly opened his yukata, revealing his pale, slender naked body. He could see the man was smiling at him, and that the lovely brown eyes were raking his bared flesh. He flushed helplessly and he longed to go and let the man inside.

But he had learned, even in his short life, to be cautious. This was a test of the man's resolve…so it was necessary to test him thoroughly. He laid down on his back on the bed, leaving his yukata open and letting the tie trail down onto his creamy thighs. His head turned so that the moonlight touched his face, he brought his hand to his already thickened member and began to touch himself. If the man was weak in his resolve, he would break in. If he was of baser intent, he would be angry and seek revenge. He continued to pleasure himself, half-closing his eyes as the lovely sensations wrapped around his senses and carried him off. His breathing quickened, but he kept himself silent as he intensified his manipulations and watched the face of the man looking in through his window. The dark eyes that watched him remained calm and focused, though the man's lips quirked and smiled at him. Byakuya's breathing became ragged and his body flushed as though in fever as his pleasure peaked and warm spurts of fluid pulsed out of him, splashing onto his sweating body. Catching the man's eye, he reached down and captured a small amount of the fluid on a pale fingertip, then brought it to his lips and tasted it. It was salty, and not unpleasant at all…and the heated look the man gave him warned Byakuya that further testing was not needed. The man by his door blinked slowly, nodded, and suddenly disappeared.

Byakuya climbed slowly to his feet, his head still spinning from orgasm and his heart pounding furiously. He walked slowly to the doors and looked out.

The man was gone.

He wondered if he was angry…if he felt insulted…if he would leave and not come back. But he had said he would come back again.

Byakuya tied the belt at his waist and slowly opened his garden doors. He stepped outside and looked around, then finding himself alone, he raised his eyes to look at the full moon. He recoiled in shock as a pair of arms he couldn't see wrapped around him and the man's mouth descended on his. He kissed the stunned noble several times, then brought his lips to a soft earlobe.

"That was lovely, Byakuya, dear. I know you meant to test me, and I respect your decision. I merely surprised you like this to reward you for entertaining me so thoroughly. I will come back tomorrow. I am interested in seeing what you will decide to do."

He left the youth standing alone in the moonlight, his body aching all over to feel the man's touch again.


	2. Restraint

**Chapter 2: Restraint**

Byakuya felt the first touches of sunrise and stirred beneath his blankets. His body still throbbed warmly with the arousal brought on by a parade of dreams about the man who had come to him the night before. He still struggled within himself about whether the man was real or just a figment of his imagination. He had seemed solid enough when his arms had wrapped around Byakuya, when his mouth had assaulted his. The hands that had touched him were warm and alive and that voice was not one he would have conjured in his mind. It contained familiarity that taunted him as he remembered, but try as he might, he just couldn't place it.

So it did seem that despite what he had felt, the whole thing could have been just a dream borne out of his anxiousness. So much was happening all around him. Having waited impatiently for his coming of age, he had longed for love to reach him. And the kind of love his restless, hidden heart desired was not the safe ritual driven courtship of the noble class, but the raw, beautiful roughness of a heady, passionate affair. He didn't just want to be embraced, he wanted to be gripped, to feel the intensity of another person's strength matching his, exceeding it, overwhelming him. He didn't desire the soft, questing kisses and touches of young, innocent love, but the bruising impact of lips and tongues doing battle, the heavy thrust of sweat misted, raging bodies against each other. And that, he thought, was why he wished so strongly for this masked man to be real. That there could be a person alive who sensed his desires, who did not think them foul and strange, but delighted in their beauty…that someone could appreciate his undisciplined and reckless inner core, the part of him that his grandfather gently admonished him about, that the council of elders had frowned upon, that he had been forced to control. That someone could look at that part of him and smile in appreciation was so beautiful to his heart and mind that it brought a light misting of tears to just consider it.

But was he real?

And if it was real, did he dare to pursue it?

He sighed impatiently, trying to force the thoughts away, but even doing so, he was still left with a surprisingly piqued body that ached to be touched. It seemed as though the very possibility that the mysterious man could be real left his body longing for the touch of that one…that passionate other…the one who wasn't like the rest…who saw beneath that fine, disciplined surface to the core of power, fury and deep emotional torrent that raged inside.

Yes, the very idea of being with someone who knew and loved that side of him, awakened the passion in his blood and made it boil inside. It made his skin so sensitive that when he merely teased it with his fingertips, his face and throat flushed and a soft jolt registered in his loins. His heart pounded faster and his cock ached and leaked in anticipation.

And in the end, he was overtaken with need. He _needed_ for this one, this other person to be real. He _needed _for him to come back, to lay him down and freeze him with those gentle, yet deceptive brown eyes, to loose the soft, insistent waves of that voice that was the voice of a stranger, yet felt like the voice of his own inner desires. He _needed_ to feel the touch of those hands, the ones that broke through the dulled outer shell of himself, the one he kept at the surface to serve the needs of his family and the Gotei 13, and found his hidden inner core, to be stroked relentlessly with words and touches, to moan and thrash and lose himself in those touches, to feel the flames of pleasure burn so hot they could incinerate him, to slowly surrender and let them burn all around him until everything else disappeared, to fall helplessly under that other person's power and feel the man's heat flare and circle inside him and to be brought back to reality again with a rush of soft, affectionate kisses.

The intensity of his need was overpowering to the point of being painful. It hurt so that he knew he needed something to relieve the discomfort, something to tide him over. So he closed his eyes and recalled the masked face that had watched so hungrily as he had touched and pleasured himself. He revived every detail in his mind and imagined himself back in that moment. He walked to the door in slow steps, his eyes on the ones that peeked out from beneath the mask and teased him into coming closer. And when he stood at the doors this time, he met the brown eyes with equal want.

And instead of speaking, he reached up and opened the doors.

_A swirl of night air licked his flesh, sending a hard chill through him. One moment, he was standing in the doorway, looking up into the man's lusting eyes, and the next, he was taken off his feet and swept into strong, unyielding arms and carried back across the room in a flash step._

"_What of the doors?" he gasped, "The guards will see!"_

"_They won't see anything," the man told them, "They won't hear anything. We are free to act as we will…to let our power rage, to bare ourselves, to indulge in each other without restraint…to moan and even scream out our pleasure…and nothing will be sensed."_

"_Is this real?" he asked, looking into the dark, seething eyes._

"_You tell me," said the velvet voice as the man threw him down onto his bed._

_The man's hands gripped his wrists and forced them down on either side of his head. His mouth attacked Byakuya's with bruising intensity, and his large, rock hard member ground against the young noble's, fully awakening the raging hunger inside him. He thrust upward, seeking hard friction, groaning and feeling the sweat rise on his skin_

"_Does this feel real to you?" the man asked between rough kisses._

_He left Byakuya's hands restrained in strong kido ropes and opened his yukata, then rose over him and straddled his body, slowly removing his own clothing, while never taking his eyes off of Byakuya's quaking form. The very gaze of the man made him blush all over. And when his clothes were stripped away and he saw the engorged arousal that swelled and leaked with anticipation of penetrating him, his eyes widened and his mouth went dry. All of the words, the questions he would ask fell away, and he stared back at the man's dark, voracious eyes and wondered with an inward quiver if he had made a fatal mistake._

_But before he could descend into regret, the other moved forward. He bit down hard on the noble's exposed throat, his hands roughly teasing and exploring him, stroking and tormenting his nipples until they ached, scraping along his pale flesh with fingernails and leaving pink trails on his fine skin, sliding down his abdomen and in between his wantonly opened thighs, brushing wickedly against his wet and throbbing erection, warming the cool, soft skin of his sac, then moving down further to tease his virgin entrance._

_He didn't even try to stifle his moan of want. It brought a pleased smile to the man's face as he followed the path that his hands had just taken, but this time with his mouth. He nipped at the already erect nipples, sending electric jolts through his groin, then followed the curves of his slender torso with a blazing tongue. He sank into Byakuya's navel, thrusting his hardened tongue inside and sucking hard until the youth's hips thrust upward, and the moan that escaped him was almost like begging for more._

_The man laughed and moved down farther, wrapping his hand firmly around Byakuya's swollen cock, capturing the wetness that leaked from it on curious fingertips, tasting it and smiling, then spreading the fluid up and down the length of his thick shaft. Byakuya groaned and thrust into the man's stroking hand, his breath coming in hard gasps and his body shaking with arousal. He groaned again in protest as the hand holding his member pressed against the base to stave off completion, and that hot tongue slid up his shaft teasingly before sliding along the flesh of each creamy, white inner thigh and leaving him breathless. He gasped in delight as that wicked mouth nipped at the skin of his sac, and as the man's hand continued to pleasure him, the man's mouth moved down lower._

_He couldn't stifle his loud, wanton moans as the hot tongue slowly circled the edges of his entrance, tasting him, teasing him to near delirium, then probing deeply. Byakuya's mouth opened into soft, lonely cries for more. His eyes teared and his heart ached as the man's penetrating tongue and stroking hand brought him to the brink of madness._

_But just as he thought he would lose his mind, a hand crawled back up his body. Three fingers pushed into his mouth and Byakuya's lips closed around then, sucking on each, one by one, then bathing them in his warm saliva._

_The hand slid back down his body and he opened his eyes for a moment as his thighs were pushed open wider and the man's fingers began to invade him. He moaned loudly at the welcome intrusion, grinding down on the hard, probing digits as they thrust in and stretched his entrance, preparing him for his first intercourse, the first breaching of his body by another…the first joining of flesh and spirit._

_He felt the man shift his body, move into position and felt the wet head touch him as the man's eyes sought his._

_It was too much…_

Though he hadn't even touched himself as he had imagined it, pleasure exploded through the young man's body with dizzying force. His cock twitched, leaving him panting and shaking as hot seed erupted and splashed onto his bared skin. His lips parted and it took everything in him not to moan out loud. He wondered briefly if he had already done so as he had fantasized about his taking. Not that Torio would ever say anything, but he would feel embarrassed, knowing that the servant had heard his surrender to lust.

He laid quietly on his bed afterwards, the wetness on his skin becoming icy as it encountered the cold morning air. He felt sleepy and sated, but knew better than to drift off again. Instead, he forced himself to climb out of bed and to go clean himself off in the bathroom. He stepped out again into the dressing area and found Torio there and waiting with his shihakushou. He was quiet and contemplative as the servant dressed him, then accompanied him into the gardens and brought his breakfast. He ate in silence and alone, as his grandfather had already risen and gone to the sixth division. He finished his meal and left the manor, breathing in the light scents around him and thinking again about the mysterious man who pursued him.

He didn't really know anything except what he read in those dark, wanton eyes. He was a dangerous type and could, of course, have an ulterior motive. So the young Kuchiki heir knew better than to engage his heart at this point. For now, it was all about feeding his passions. Love would come later, if it came at all. But he would not count on it. He might be young, but he had already witnessed enough in the way of betrayal as to be cautious with his heart.

And the man had only expressed interest in possessing him physically…

Nothing had been said about possessing his heart.

He reached the sixth division and stepped into the office, bowing briefly in greeting to his grandfather, then taking his place at the fukutaichou's desk. His heart quieted inside him and he buried himself in learning his new position. The tasks were not difficult and he loved being in close quarters with Ginrei again. As the afternoon wore on and his grandfather left for a taichou's meeting, Byakuya began to consider what he would do when he returned home.

Would he go to sleep and leave his doors open?

Would he leave them closed and touch his fingers to the cold glass, only dreaming of what could be?

"Byakuya," his grandfather's voice said, bringing him out of his reverie, "There has been an emergency. We must leave for the Hueco Mundo base at once to relieve the forces there that have been attacked."

He followed his grandfather to the staging area and waited as the commands were given and he was sent ahead with a group of specialists to provide some faster relief to the fighters as the rest of the squad made their way there more slowly.

Byakuya was glad for the distraction that kept him from thinking about the fact that now his meeting with the mysterious man would be delayed. He didn't know quite how to feel about that. It was true that he wanted very much to be touched and explored, to shed his innocence (if indeed, it had ever really existed) and to experience lovemaking for the first time. And as much as he sought his own pleasure, he wondered what his would be lover would sound like when he was aroused…what it would feel like to touch him…how it would feel to wrap his mouth around the other man's cock and feel his lover quiver as he sucked and licked the hot flesh until his throbbing member yielded its seething release.

He sighed in resignation, loosing his petals on the incoming hollows, but his mind only half-engaged in the battle. The men under his command performed flawlessly, such was the intensity of the their training under Byakuya's grandfather. And his training proved out as well as he guided them through the battle, his mind still partially entrapped in his thoughts. The situation eased as his grandfather arrived with the reinforcements and the hollows were thrown back.

He stood alongside Ginrei, nodding as his grandfather gave instructions for the placement of the men on watch. His grandfather departed for the base, leaving him in command of the watch, and Byakuya spent the next several hours with his eyes raised to the stars overhead. He thought about the myths that went along with the constellations, noting that in their stories, love and betrayal seemed to walk closely together. He didn't know what to think of the possibility of true love. His only example had been his father's dutiful observances to his mother, who had died as he was born. There must, he thought, have been true love between them. Soujun's eyes had told the story, when he had spoken of her…or when he had spoken to her as he and Byakuya had knelt at her graveside sometimes. Yes, true love did exist then, but the stories of betrayal were more rampant. One, he thought, had to tread carefully or he would be deceived.

He was still pondering that thought when the alert sirens wailed and wave upon wave of hollows began to appear. In moments, the fighters were fully engaged and reinforcements flooded out from the base they protected.

Byakuya's mind then fell to managing the battle…orchestrating the raising of a protective shield over the fighters to minimize the danger from opponents in the air or on the slopes around them, directing the course of the kido attacks and released zanpakutous. Then, as the enemy attack intensified, joining the battle, releasing a flood of pink petals to slow the enemy's advance…then, finally crossing swords with the enemy, himself. His lithe, young body swayed and turned among the fighters, his senses extended and his mind working constantly to react to the ebb and flow of the battle. As an enemy fell in front of him, he suddenly sensed concealed attackers rising up near where his grandfather stood. He ceased to see the two of them as grandfather and grandson in that moment. He was a fukutaichou charged with the protection of his taichou. And he proved it then, throwing himself between his taichou and the incoming hollows, striking at them with sword and kido and shikai, and throwing them back from the one he protected.

The sting of injury and the scent of his own blood only made him fight harder. In moments, he was down to a single attacker. He slashed at it and kido exploded from his hands, making the creature screech and flail as it died. Byakuya stepped back, but as the hollow fell, it suddenly slashed at the young noble again.

It was odd, feeling the pain blossom from the center of the wound that opened up, to see the blood explode from within him and to feel a sudden shiver of uncertainty pass through him. He was falling then, and voices were crying out all around him. Strong arms captured him and Ginrei's voice assured him that he had done his job well. The hollow advance had been stopped and his taichou's safety had been seen to. Byakuya closed his eyes and sighed softly, dropping, for a time, into peaceful oblivion. On some level, he still heard the muted, concerned voices around him, felt the healing touches and sensed that he was being moved from the battlefield to the base, and then from the base to the fourth division.

He woke to find himself in a white walled room that smelled of antiseptic and clean linen. Unohana taichou smiled down at him.

"Rest easy, Kuchiki fukutaichou," she said, sending healing power into his weary body, "You sustained a serious injury. Your grandfather was quite anxious."

He felt a stab of guilt at having caused the old shinigami such worry. He knew how difficult his father's death had been for Ginrei. He was glad when the door to his room opened, when his grandfather stepped into the room, with the fifth division taichou at his side. Ginrei's look of relief bolstered him, and he was finally able to relax inside.

"I hear it was quite a battle," said Aizen taichou's gentle voice, "Some of my subordinates were involved in the battle. They say that you fought exceptionally well. You have made your grandfather proud."

"Arigato, Aizen taichou," Byakuya said, letting his eyes slide closed.

He felt his grandfather's hand slide into his as he drifted off, then fell asleep still feeling the eyes of the two men watching…


	3. Recovery

**Chapter 3: Recovery**

**(Thanks to everyone who is reading and supporting this story! And a shout out to the non-members who I can't respond to directly. Spunky loves ya'! Cyberhugs and cookies to everyone! :) Love Spunky)**

Byakuya rested quietly in his bed in the fourth division, working disinterestedly at a cup of tea and absently practicing his calligraphy to pass the time. The door opened and Ginrei came in and sat down next to the bed.

"Grandfather, it's so good to see you!" he said, smiling, "I've been so bored, it will be good to talk for a while."

"Regretfully, I must report to the division office soon. I'm afraid we've been assigned a mission in the living world and will be departing within a few hours."

"Oh," the youth sighed, looking crestfallen, "I wish I could get out of here and come with you."

"Absolutely not, Soujun…"

Ginrei stopped himself.

"My apologies, Byakuya…slip of the tongue. Do not mind it. In any case, how are you feeling today?"

"I am well," Byakuya said, going quiet out of respect for his grandfather's obvious lingering pain, "I didn't mean to seem as though I would defy Unohana taichou's instructions. I only meant that I wish I could be going with you instead of lying here with nothing to do."

"Well then," said Ginrei, rising, "I will have your reports and schedules messengered over here to you to work on. Last I checked, your hands and eyes were still functional, ne?"

"Ah, yes," Byakuya sighed, "Thank you, Grandfather."

He sat, half listening, his eyes straying to the window and focusing on the calm, pretty blue of the sky as Ginrei told him more about the details of the mission and a healer came in to examine him. His grandfather touched his hand lightly in farewell before disappearing out the door and leaving him alone and more bored than before.

His mind drifted back to the mysterious man and he wondered again, who it could be who was pursuing him. He recalled the strength he had felt in the man's arms, the warmth and pleasant taste of his lips and tongue, the gentle, yet firm feel of his hands as they explored him.

_Who could this be?_

"Ah, Kuchiki fukutaichou," said a calm, quiet voice, bringing him out of his head and back to the sterile environment of the fourth division, "I was passing through the sixth division and offered to bring your things over to you on my way back to my division."

"Arigato, Aizen taichou," Byakuya said, nodding as the soft spoken leader of the fifth division set down the papers and sat down next to the bed. He caught sight of the pad of paper and brush in Byakuya's lap and admired the delicate lines and curves of his calligraphy.

"Lovely," he commented, "You have a truly fine hand, fukutaichou."

"Arigato," Byakuya said, glancing at the page, then looking questioningly back at the bespectacled taichou of the fifth division.

"Is…something wrong?" Aizen asked, smiling as his fingers stroked Kyoka Suigetsu's hilt and the illusion wrapped around Byakuya.

"N-no…I…" the youth said, blinking uncertainly as Aizen's power took hold of him and made everything around him disappear.

He found himself lying in a warmer-toned, more comfortable room, with no recollection of who he had been speaking to, or how he had suddenly come to be there. He turned his head and sat up suddenly as he encountered the masked man who had come to him before.

"Lie down," the man directed him, "You are still healing. I will not take you. We can just explore each other a bit, ne?"

Byakuya fell back as the man climbed into the bed beside him, then turned and brought their lips together.

"Who are you?" Byakuya asked in a whisper, touching the carefully masked face, "How did we get here? I was…in the healing center."

"You still are," said the tranquil voice as the man's hand curved around a porcelain cheek, "I have only altered what you see and sense around you."

"But that means that they will…"

"No," the masked man told him, "Anyone who enters the room, will only see you sleeping. They won't sense me here at all."

"How are you doing this? How are you making this happen?"

"Enough questions," the man whispered, claiming his lips roughly, "All you need to know is that I am here and that we are together. Now then, let's make ourselves more comfortable."

He loosened his clothing, then took hold of the tie at Byakuya's waist and opened his yukata and revealing a sea of perfect, sakura scented skin. Byakuya blushed furiously as the man's hungry brown eyes raked his exposed flesh.

"You are truly lovely, Kuchiki Byakuya," he whispered, letting the fingers of one hand run slowly down his body. I am very pleased that you will make a full recovery. I would have been quite devastated if anything had happened to you."

Byakuya frowned and blinked in surprise.

"You look startled," the man noted as his searching hands moved over Byakuya's body, brushing against blushing skin, teasing the erect nipples, and slowly searching out the places that still ached from his injuries and pouring healing energy into him, "It isn't every day that one comes across his soul mate, Byakuya."

"Your…s-soul mate?" Byakuya repeated questioningly, trying to clear the confusion from his mind, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you feel it?" the other went on, "That sense of feeling like we already knew each other, as though even not looking on each other's faces, we know there is something powerful between us. Powerful…thrilling…passionate. And there is trust between us. We won that trust when I told you that I would respect your decision to let me in or not."

"You are here now," Byakuya pointed out almost breathlessly, "I have no say in that."

"Do you want me to leave?" the man asked, letting his hand run up the noble youth's soft, white thigh and then teasing his cock lightly, "I will go if you tell me to leave. Didn't I leave when you refused me before? Even though you teased me most wickedly, Byakuya? Do you really require more proof?"

"N-no," said Byakuya, shaking his head slowly, "We…have trust."

"How much do you trust me?" asked the man, wrapping a hand around Byakuya's thickening length, "And since you have tested me, shouldn't I test you?"

Byakuya froze, not knowing what to say. He didn't want the man to leave, but a part of him feared what he would be made to endure.

"How do you mean to test me? You…said you won't take me yet?"

"And I will not. I promise you that I will satisfy you…without yet stepping over that boundary. Will you trust me, then?"

Byakuya's heart pounded wildly as he considered. The man _had_ been true to his word so far, but…

"Byakuya…?" the man whispered, stroking his cock and leaning forward to kiss his flushed lips again.

Byakuya shivered softly with foreboding, but finally nodded. The man's lips smiled and he leaned over Byakuya and took hold of his slender wrists, raising them above his head and using kido ropes to bind them to the rail at the head of the bed. Byakuya flinched and caught his breath as his feet were set in restraints as well. Then, the man leaned over his bound form and slipped a blindfold over his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya queried softly, "Are you trying to frighten me?"

"Are you frightened?"

"No."

"Really?"

"I am not afraid."

Byakuya flinched and inhaled sharply as the edge of a knife touched his flesh lightly.

"The sense of danger can be a powerful aphrodisiac Byakuya…that shadow of a doubt, that uncertainty. It makes your heart beat faster and sets your nerves on edge. It makes you more sensitive to _everything_."

"Are you going to cut me?"

"No, I was merely making a point."

Byakuya's lips curved into a smile.

"Then what _will_ you do with me?"

He could almost feel the man's return smile.

"I am going to touch you but you won't know where you will feel it, kiss you where you do not expect it, tease you until your arousal makes you nearly lose your mind, bring you to a wonderful rapturous climax and leave you sated and sleeping comfortably in your hospital bed when I am done."

"And what if I want to touch you?" Byakuya asked, moving his hands within the restraints.

"All in good time. You have been injured. I want to comfort you. We can move on to other pleasures after you are well, Byakuya."

Byakuya felt heat on his skin at the mere suggestion, but he forced himself to relax, and waited calmly as the man leaned over him again. And he was right, Byakuya found. Blindfolded and unable to see what he was doing, each touch registered with heavier force. A brushing of soft-scented hair against his cheek sent a tickle through his insides, and he flinched involuntarily as something warm was applied to his skin in several places. The man's hands spread what felt like warm oil onto his chest and abdomen, then slowly along his inner thighs, making his cock throb softly and harden. He felt _everything_! The scrape of the man's clothing against his side, touches of warm breath that heated the oil on his flesh, an equally hot tongue attacking his throat, teasing, haphazard strokes. And even the seemingly innocent or inadvertent touches and strokes felt passionate. He shivered and moaned, his mind eagerly waiting for what touch or sensation would come next. And sometimes the touches felt dangerous, and sometimes they felt gentle. He never knew what to expect and that anticipation left his head spinning with curiosity.

Then he noticed that there were certain places he was avoiding. And each place, his longing mouth, his navel, his aching, leaking cock, soft scrotum and his virgin entrance began to long to be included. As his arousal intensified, he felt a sense of being gently tortured…despite being touched and stroked, licked and caressed almost everywhere those few places were carefully excluded. His moans became more wanton and he began to ask softly, to lean his body to gain relief from the lack of sensation in those places. The man wasn't speaking now and he didn't respond to the soft requests, the moans of need or even the stronger demands. Sweat broke out on his skin and he shivered and began to fight the bonds. He wanted so much to have that need relieved.

The sweet agony continued until he was shaking and sweat-drenched and felt as though he was going to lose his mind. Then just as he began to despair that he would never reach completion, a rough fingertip brushed lightly against a painfully erect nipple jolting him and forcing a delighted cry from his lips. He felt pressure at the base of his swollen erection, then his nipples were sweetly attacked by a marauding tongue that alternated with the rough fingers. The fingers slid down his heaving chest and quivering abdomen, fell aimlessly into his navel, sending another hard jolt through him and forcing a voracious, guttural cry from deep inside. The hot tongue followed the path the man's fingers had taken and then sank into his navel. And Byakuya was grateful for the pressure down lower that held him a breath away from completion. He wouldn't have been able to hold back. And even though it was teasing, he longed to feel each place addressed and satisfied. And now that he was traveling downward, the young noble's cock leaked and twitched furiously, and Byakuya could feel the heat of the man's gaze, looking down at his naked and piqued body and smiling as he moved in for the kill.

He couldn't contain his loud moans, or the hard cry of pleasure as a warm tongue tasted the fluid at the tip of his waiting member, prompting the intense leakage of more. He gasped and panted as the man's fingers captured and spread it up and down his length, then lightly caressed his sac with it, then teased his entrance and set him thrashing in his bonds again. That wonderful tongue attacked his length, licking him to within an inch of his life, then when the man's mouth finally wrapped around him, he couldn't hold his quaking hips still. And surprisingly the other didn't try to stop him, but held him insane inches from orgasm as he fucked that sweet mouth, then pushed one finger, then two into his entrance. It seemed a sort of cruelty to know he would not be taken. He wanted to be. And he wanted to return some part of the touches and sensations that he had been offered. He opened his mouth to tell the man so, but had his breath promptly taken away as the fingers inside him hooked and an electric jolt of pleasure rocked his young body from end to end. The fingers holding him away from release, loosed him suddenly, and as the fingers inside him touched that sensitive place again, Byakuya erupted into incoherent screams of pleasure and came violently into his lover's waiting mouth.

He should have been mortified at the loss of control over himself. It felt awfully sinful to be spun so forcefully over that precipice and to lose himself in the heat and pleasure in such a way. Much of that passion had been trained out of him. The giving over of mind and body, of passions and wants to duty and responsibility had worn on him. But that wilder, less disciplined side of him had suddenly reawakened, and as the bonds on his body shattered and he was pulled close, held tightly and kissed deeply, the bonds inside his heart shattered as well. He returned the man's kisses with equal passion and curled happily into his arms. He reached up and removed the blindfold, so that he could see his lover's eyes. He read the affection there and couldn't help but smile and sink more deeply into his arms.

"I think you are not feeling the pain of your injuries so much now," said the tranquil voice, "but you still require rest, Kuchiki Byakuya."

Still looking into the man's eyes, he offered his lover a soft, gratified kiss on the lips and laced their fingers together. His other hand stole down the man's body, wanting very much to return something for the pleasure he had been given, but the hand was firmly captured and the fingers sweetly kissed, as the admonishing eyes of the other warned against it.

"Later," his lover told him quietly, "For the time being, this is more than enough."

His head was brought to a warm shoulder and the hands that had so recently pleasured him, curved around his head, the fingers sinking into his hair, slid slowly down his back and caressed his round bottom. Under the force of those affectionate touches and those endearing eyes, Byakuya surrendered to sleep.

But even sleep couldn't keep him from wondering…

_Is this all just a dream? But how can it bereal? He comes to me during the day or night…when I am alone or even in a crowd. How can this really be happening? Is it an illusion, some power he is using? Or is it that I have been so torn away from this side of myself that my own mind created him? Is that why he never shows his face?_

_And what do I do now?_

_If he is real, I want to know him. I want to speak his name when we are together, scream it as we make love. I want to think of him and see his whole face, not only his eyes and mouth. I want to remember during the day, what his voice sounds like._

_But what if this is not real?_

_What if I have begun to lose my mind from the pressures around me?_

_What do I do?_

_What do I do then?_

He opened his eyes and suddenly found himself in the healing center. He lifted his head off the pillow and found himself looking at Aizen taichou, who was sitting beside his bed, admiring the calligraphy he had been practicing.

"I'm sorry, Aizen taichou," he said blinking in confusion, "I must have drifted off."

"That's all right, Kuchiki fukutaichou. I was just admiring your penmanship. Truly, you have a gift for calligraphy. An odd pursuit for one so young."

"Well," sighed Byakuya softly, "When one is treated as though he should be an adult, he finds what outlets he can for his more youthful passions. Even though calligraphy requires strict discipline, its beauty feels almost like a kind of freedom."

"I see," said Aizen, smiling at him.


	4. Release

**Chapter 4: Release**

Byakuya stepped out of the healing center and breathed in deeply, glad for the cooler, sweeter air. He had hated being forced to stay inside for so many consecutive days, hardly able to get a breath of fresh air and having almost nothing to do. He was riled that while he was forced to remain in the healing center, his squad had been called away on a mission to the living world, and Ginrei hadn't come back as of yet. The visits from a few cousins and family members had revived him at times, but the more formal visits with the elders seemed to suck away his energy, leaving him cross and weary afterwards. His only real consolation had been the daily visits from Aizen taichou. He had never really spent any time with Aizen Sousuke prior to his injury. The man was his grandfather's colleague, a taichou, and quite a bit older and, Byakuya thought, wiser than he was. He wasn't sure what the gentle taichou of the fifth division saw in him, but was glad that he came every day to inquire about how he was feeling, to quietly discuss history, astrology, mythology, calligraphy and, of course, to talk about recent battles.

The time seemed to fly while he was there, and although he couldn't quite tell at the end of it, what had taken up so much time, their meetings always ended with him feeling a deep warmth inside, a feeling so comfortable that he drifted off to sleep and half the time didn't remember Aizen leaving. He had a few vague memories of hearing the man's soft voice saying something to him, but never remembered what was said.

Byakuya sighed and turned in the direction of Kuchiki Manor, his mind growing troubled as he thought about his dream lover, who hadn't made an appearance since that first day in the healing center. He wondered again if he could have just dreamed the whole thing up. But their interactions seemed so real that he could not accept it. No, there had to be reality to what he was experiencing.

Unless perhaps he was losing his mind…

How else could he explain the way the man could appear at any time or place and just snatch him away…make him appear to be in another place altogether? He had said it was his power…a power of illusion, it seemed. And if the man was real, and he truly wielded such a power of illusion, then he was horribly dangerous.

_Byakuya…_

The noble youth looked around, startled out of his reverie and his heart beating wildly as his dream lover's voice sounded again.

_I will come to you tonight._

A smile played over his lips as he recalled their passionate exchange in the healing center. The man had pleasured him thoroughly and had asked for nothing in return. He had, in fact stopped him from returning the pleasure he had been given. And Byakuya was eager to repay him for that. He felt a soft jolt in his loins as he considered what he would do…what would happen when he opened that door.

"Yes, when…" he whispered.

He didn't pretend that he would show any restraint. Restraint and rules, and all of the things that had dulled his life and left him feeling distant, weary, asleep on his feet…all of those things would disappear when he opened his door and let his dream lover in. And whether he was real or not, what Byakuya _felt_ was real…and that had to count for something.

He reached the manor and nearly groaned aloud at how he was besieged immediately with family matters to deal with. His grandfather's long absence and his incapacitation had left many things undone. It was well into the afternoon when he set the last of the finished papers into place, took his leave of the last of the barrage of family members and elders who stopped by for one reason or another and walked out into the gardens, just in time to see Aizen Sousuke arrive.

"Aizen taichou, greetings," he said, bowing.

"Good afternoon, Kuchiki fukutaichou," the fifth division taichou said, smiling at him, "My apologies for stopping in unannounced, but I knew you were coming home today and wondered if you required any assistance getting settled back in."

"Oh," said Byakuya, "I seem to have caught up for now. But I was planning to take a walk up to the waterfall. Would you like to join me?"

"That would be lovely," Aizen said, nodding in approval.

They walked out the back gates and started down the forest trail together.

"I wanted to thank you for coming to see me in the healing center," Byakuya said gratefully, "I was bored out of my mind in that place. And with grandfather gone and just the elders and a few family members to talk to…"

"I enjoyed our time together as well," said the soft-spoken taichou, "You are highly educated for one so young."

"Yes, well…I would take a bit _less_ education and a bit _more_ living any day," the noble youth complained, "I feel as though since I started training for leadership, there is not much else to my life. I haven't time for recreation or for maintaining friendships. There is much required to be done to see to the needs of the clan, and Grandfather seems eager to have me take on more and more responsibility. I cannot complain, because it is a great honor, however, I do long for a bit of freedom, now and again. But it seems that only happens in my dreams."

"Dreams are a wonderful release for the tensions in life, Kuchiki fukutaichou," Aizen said, meeting his eyes warmly, "but you should also have a more balanced life."

"Tell that to the elders, who only get along when they're working against me, the hundreds of family members who are expecting me to attend more events than there are days in a year and the warring factions of the noble clans, who spend all of their free time trying to better their positions in the hierarchy. Ah, but I shouldn't complain. It is a lovely day, I have gotten free of the healing center and you are here to liven up the afternoon."

They sat down beneath the sakura trees at the top of the waterfall and gazed down at the large, blue lake, the tree dotted land and the vast, green meadows spread out below them.

"You sound a bit overwhelmed," Aizen said softly.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," Byakuya sighed, leaning back against a sakura tree, "but weary and feeling a lot older than I am."

He wasn't quite sure what happened next, but all of a sudden, it seemed that the scene around them faded away and was overwritten with something quite different. He felt himself drop down onto his back and a rustling of his clothing, then the sensation of being turned onto his stomach. His eyes, it seemed, were closed, and would not respond when he tried to open them. He felt wonderfully warm and gentle hands caressing his body, starting by threading through his hair, rubbing some type of lightly scented oil into the skin of the back of his neck, working the muscles of his shoulders and back, lingering on his buttocks and thighs, then turning him. He wondered if the touches would deepen and become sexual, but they were carefully controlled and deliberate.

He wondered at the fact that he could still hear Aizen taichou's pleasant voice speaking to him, and he seemed to be answering in a much more relaxed tone.

He felt a bit foolish when he woke to find himself leaned against the fifth division taichou, with the other man reading in that soft, quiet tone from a book of myths they had been talking about.

"Aizen taichou, my apologies," he said, sitting up and yawning, "I don't know what came over me."

"Weariness, most likely," the other man suggested, smiling, "That, and you became quite dreamy while I was reading."

"Yes, well, its easy to get swept away by stories of adventure, mythical beasts, hard battles and heroism. It wouldn't be nearly so interesting if those heroes were plagued with responsibility and fighting rabid elders, who were only out to corner and tame them."

"That is why more adventurous and dreamy beings such as ourselves love mythology. It feeds those needs and desires of the mind."

"And now that that's done, I think I need to feed my body. Would you care to stay for dinner?"

"What a lovely idea," said Aizen, "but unfortunately, I must return to my division. I have enjoyed the afternoon, Kuchiki fukutaichou. Your company is very refreshing."

"As is yours, Aizen taichou," he replied as they took their leave of each other.

He watched Aizen pass through the gates, then settled back into the hum of activity around him, working much more contentedly until finally, night came and he was released to bathe and go to bed. He stood quietly under the waterfall in the bathing room, enjoying the feel of Torio's attentive hands, his mind replaying the pleasant afternoon and how he had dreamed of warm, caressing hands soothing him as he dozed beneath the sakura trees, listening to Aizen taichou's soft voice reading to him.

"I was going to offer a massage, Kuchiki-sama," said Torio, "but you already seem very relaxed."

"I am," he agreed, yawning sleepily, "I think I will sleep well tonight."

"It has been a full day, sir," said Torio, taking a towel and carefully drying him off.

_And I think it will be a full night too…if…_

He paused on the walkway outside his room, taking a few minutes to gaze up at the bright moon and stars.

_I wonder if he will be here. He said that he would come when I was well again. He said that he would come tonight. And real or not, he makes me feel alive inside. I won't question it. I need this…_

He passed into his bedroom and paused just inside the doors, standing with his back to them and feeling an odd euphoria building inside him. He breathed in the pleasant scents of his clean body and hair, and the sweet fragrances coming in from the gardens. He thought he heard a soft footstep.

"Byakuya."

His heart quickened and a shiver of anticipation passed through him.

"You are here," he said softly, his voice barely audible.

"Did you doubt that I would be?" the man asked quietly.

"No."

"Will you turn and look at me?" he asked.

Byakuya turned and met the dark brown eyes calmly. He stood just outside the doors, dressed in something dark and flowing that caught the breeze and fluttered hazily, making him seem otherworldly and ethereal. His hand was extended in the young noble's direction and offering him a dark red rose.

"May I come in?" he asked softly.

Byakuya gazed at the lovely rose, the long green stem and petals, the carefully dulled thorns and the deep red petals, whose tips were so dark that they looked almost black. Then he looked back at the man who held it.

"I want to invite you in," he said, meeting the man's eyes again, "but before I do, I want you to show me your face. If I am going to give myself to you, I want to know who you are."

The man smiled.

"You wish to leave the dream behind and make this real?" he asked, "Are you sure, Byakuya?"

"Why would I not want to see the face of my lover?" Byakuya asked, his fingertips extending to lightly caress the petals of the rose in the man's hand, "Why would I not want to know whose name to call out when we make love tonight?"

"Those are very understandable desires, Byakuya," the man acknowledged, "but you are a noble, a person surrounded by order and responsibility. And as time goes on, the pressures will only grow for you to embrace the role they have made for you. Are you sure that you do not wish to let go of this side of yourself and be the person they want? There would still be room, of course, for the wild, passionate dreams. But they would remain dreams only…not reality."

"I don't understand," Byakuya said, blinking slowly and furrowing his brow.

The man moved closer.

"Dreams are safer, Byakuya," he explained, "because if you have a dream, you can walk away easily. It can end at any time of your choosing. It can be beautiful, but in the end, it is just a form of amusement. If I reveal myself to you and we make this a reality, it will impact your life and mine. We will have to balance who we are by day and who we are at night. And I assure you that as much as you will have to conceal our romance from your family, I will have to conceal it from the others in my life as well. Still, despite my desire to keep my ties to them, I find myself in possession of a wilder, more undisciplined side. And that side of me desires the same side of you Byakuya."

"You are saying that I must be discreet."

"I am saying that we both must be discreet…for your protection and the keeping of your honor…and mine."

"So…if I agree to this, then you will show me your face?"

"After we make love for the first time," the man agreed.

"Are you concerned that if I knew who you were, I would not allow this?" Byakuya asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I am saying that if I told you before, you might hold back somewhat. Posturing, Byakuya. We all do it. I want to see you in full release," he said, stepping closer, "your heart and body in full rebellion. I want to experience the full force of you, and once you have given me that, I will reveal myself."

Byakuya's lips curved upward slightly and his reiatsu flared softly. His fingers curled around the stem of the offered rose and he took it from the other man's hand.

"You have been generous in your yielding of pleasure," he said quietly, "and I am compelled to do no less. Come…you are welcome here."

He took a step back as the man moved forward, into the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke smiled warmly beneath his mask as Byakuya extended the hand that held the dark rose and ran the cool, sweet bud down the side of his covered face. His eyes took in the pale spectacle of youth and beauty in front of him and he breathed in the lovely, drifting scents of sakura and the flowers from the garden. He started to speak, but stopped as the noble youth stepped in close to him, raising his dark gray eyes and fixing him in place.

"Before we make love, I owe you something," Byakuya said, gesturing to where a pile of comfortable pillows rested on the floor in front of a roaring fire, "You offered me comfort and pleasure when I was injured. Let me repay you for that."

"You do not have to…"

Byakuya's lips captured his and Aizen froze, not sure whether to be more enchanted by the youth's kiss or the words that followed.

"I know I do not have to. I _want _to. Please…make yourself comfortable."

Aizen's smile widened and he slowly lowered himself down onto the pillows, sitting with his back against them and admiring Byakuya's silhouette as he stood between the masked man and the fire. Byakuya knelt in front of him and opened his yukata, revealing the lovely expanse of white skin, that hint of sakura and an entrancing view of the youth's already blushing erection.

"Are you going to tease me again?" Aizen asked as Byakuya moved in closer to him, "because I think if you did, it would be much harder to resist."

"I agreed to give myself to you," Byakuya said, sliding a pale hand down his own chest, over his white abdomen and down to his swelling member.

He wrapped his hand around his length and coaxed out a few drops of pearly fluid.

"You _are_ teasing me!" Aizen said in mock accusation.

"No," Byakuya said, touching his fingers to the wetness, then bringing his fingers to the other man's lips, "I am giving you a taste of what you desire…of what will be yours soon. It is just to tide you over for a bit…while I return what is owed…"

Aizen's warm mouth sucked in the youth's fingers, his cock twitching and leaking as the youth's taste and scent soundly struck his senses. Byakuya withdrew his slender fingers and replaced them with his mouth, emitting a soft, pleased moan as he tasted himself on the other man's lips. His hands slid downward as they kissed, loosing the tie at Aizen's waist and slowly folding back his clothing to reveal strong, sculpted body underneath. He smiled as Byakuya paused, leaning over him and breathing in his darker, masculine scent. The dark gray eyes went hazy with lust and he could almost feel the youth's heart quicken. Blinking lazily, the youth lowered his lips to the older man's throat, brushing then up its length, then nuzzling beneath his chin and attacking the sensitive skin there. As he kissed and then nipped at Aizen's soft earlobe, his hands, which he had somehow quietly treated with a warm, scented oil began to work their way about the older man's muscular shoulders and down his chest. Aizen met the young noble's eyes and smiled, sighing contentedly as Byakuya worked his way slowly downward, pleasuring with the warm, exploring hands, then following with a hungry mouth, soft scrapings of his teeth and a wonderfully devilish tongue. He sucked a dusky and very erect nipple into his mouth, moaning as he slid his tongue over it and sucked deeply. His mouth heated the flavored and scented oil that had been spread there, making light, heady jolts pass through Aizen's body. His heart was racing softly as Byakuya's mouth left one nipple and closed over the other. By the time the youth released it, the older man's erection was leaking profusely and he wanted nothing more than to topple the youth and plunge into his sweet, unspoiled body. He held himself back, promising himself that once he unleashed himself on Byakuya, he would not hold back. The youth was powerful enough, he thought, to bear the full weight of his reiatsu and body.

He angled his head slightly to better enjoy the view as Byakuya's bowed head moved lower and his flushed lips and tongue savored his lover's deep navel, while the swirls of raven black hair teased his flesh, driving him near to his breaking point. If he had loved Byakuya before, he adored the youth now. If he had desired him before, his heart was now desperate. His hands slid down his own body and his fingers sank into Byakuya's hair, riling it and pushing his head down lower.

Byakuya's eyes lifted to meet his, a smile gracing his fine lips as he loosed hot breath on his lover's wet arousal. A slender hand wrapped around him, making him growl warningly as the youth sucked one side of the man's soft sac into his mouth, slowly tormented it, then released it and took in the other. He moved down lower and brought a lovely flush to his elder lover's cheeks as he teased and probed Aizen's entrance with a wickedly hot tongue. He loosed a soft laugh as Aizen's lust finally got the better of him and he dragged the youth onto his lap. Byakuya locked his legs around Aizen's body, moving his hips and rubbing his slick member against the other man's, feeding him penetrating kisses and moaning more loudly at the delicious blending of their tastes in both men's mouths. He leaned back for a moment, collecting the fluid from their leaking members onto his fingers and enjoying some himself, while also feeding his voracious lover. As they fell to kissing again, Aizen's fingers collected more of their wetness and slid down over the noble's soft round bottom, seeking his entrance. He pushed his fingers inside the youth's body, thrusting and stretching, making him pant and grip the older man tightly as they descended into a hail of harder kisses.

He removed his fingers and turned the youth so that he faced the fireplace on his hands and knees, then positioned himself behind Byakuya, placing a hand on one naked white hip and using the other hand to bring his thick head to the young noble's prepared entrance. Byakuya gasped involuntarily and a shiver went through him as Aizen's hips moved and he began to work his way into the youth's body in short, careful thrusts. Byakuya made a soft, muffled sound of pain, then cried out sharply as Aizen abandoned gentleness and pushed the rest of the way inside him.

The older man froze for a moment, leaning forward slightly to capture the long, black hair in one hand and to loose it over the noble youth's long, pale back. His hands recaptured Byakuya's lovely white hips and held them as the youth panted and tightened almost painfully around him as his body struggled to adjust. He lowered himself onto the youth's back, moving his hair to plant soft kisses on his shoulder and throat, before claiming his lips for another flurry of steamy kisses.

He waited until he felt Byakuya's body relax beneath his and the youth sighed contentedly, then he lifted himself and tightened his hands on Byakuya's hips and began to thrust into him. The young noble panted more harshly and raised his hips, meeting the hard, deep thrusts eagerly and clenching the soft, thick rug in his curled fingers. He lowered his head, groaning with intense pleasure as Aizen's body thrust in harder and faster, and the older man's reiatsu released into the air around them, wrapping around their joined bodies and adding even more to their arousal and enjoyment. Aizen adjusted his body slightly, thrusting in hard and finding the center of pleasure inside his young lover. Byakuya gave a ragged cry and his arms quivered, his slender form shaking and threatening to collapse. His chest heaved with deep, moaning breaths as his body seized and his cries rose into screams of pleasure.

Aizen dropped down onto the youth's sweating back as hot seed pulsed out of Byakuya's trembling body and onto the carpet beneath them. He forced himself in one last time and let his weight bring Byakuya's body the rest of the way to the floor, so that he was spread out on the young noble's back as he shuddered and released deep inside him. Byakuya rested senselessly beneath him, his body still shaking as he worked to catch his breath. Aizen saw a tear on one porcelain check and felt a soft shock pass through him.

He lifted himself off of his young lover, pulling him close.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly, "Byakuya?"

The youth nodded briefly as Aizen brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"It wasn't…too painful, was it?"

Byakuya shook his head, still unable to find his voice. Aizen held the youth against him, feeding him gentle kisses and breathing soft, affectionate words into his ear as he calmed and gathered himself. When he seemed more composed the older man released him and sat, quietly watching as Byakuya struggled for words.

"I am sorry to have worried you," he whispered finally, "It's just that…that…no one ever wanted this part of me. N-no one ever _loved_ this part of me. They wanted to kill it…to…make it disappear. But you…you…are different. That's why I couldn't say 'no' to you anymore. I _had_ to let you in. You are the only thing that is keeping me alive inside."

Aizen offered him a sad smile.

"I understand," he said calmly, "and that is part of the reason that I hide behind a mask, Byakuya. What I hide is the truth of who I am. And that truth would not be welcome. No one would want this part of me. No one could _love_ this part of me. No one but you."

Byakuya stared at the man breathlessly as his hand rose and swept the mask away. He took a gasping breath and stared wide-eyed as the wickedly beautiful face beneath it was fully revealed.


	5. All Else is Illusion

**Chapter 5: All Else is Illusion**

**(Thanks to everyone reading, and shout outs to Iloveaizenandbyakuya and youyou...Thanks! Gratitude to Sariniste for sharing her enthusiasm and ideas and once again to geecee, who has done so much to support my Aizen/Bya love stories! Did I get everyone? Oh yeah, thanks to Aizen and Byakuya for their hotness! Ouch!)**

Byakuya knelt in front of the fully revealed shinigami in front of him, his stunned eyes poring over every inch of the man's face, taking in the fall of brown hair, with one lazy strand trailing down between his slightly narrowed brown eyes. He knew the shape of that face and body, that calm silhouette, but there were distinct differences…in body, mind and power.

"Y-you…you look like Aizen taichou…" Byakuya whispered, "but your face and your reiatsu differ. Why?"

Aizen smiled.

"Think of it this way, watashi no koi, you wear a mask of your own. Every day when you open your eyes, you are completely yourself, for one long moment. Then, as realization spreads over you, you set in place a mask every bit as real as the one I wore. You devote yourself to giving your family what you know they expect from you. And in the same way, I wear the mask everyone sees, so that I show them the person they expect to see."

Byakuya considered his words and nodded slowly.

"I think I understand," he said, meeting his lover's eyes, "but I do this to honor my family, to protect our mutual interests. I want as much as they do for our clan to be strong, and for it to be a safe place to bring forth our children."

"Yes," agreed Aizen, "Just because it is a mask, does not mean that everything about it is false. And you have understandable reasons for wearing it. I do as well."

"And why do you conceal yourself?" asked Byakuya, his heart pounding oddly as he remembered the feeling he'd had before that this man was terribly dangerous. He seemed even more so now.

"I was born in the mid-Rukon…to an average, peasant family. But, Byakuya, they knew from the beginning that I was different. Usually, it takes several years for signs of great ability to appear, but I was born with very strong reiatsu. And being powerful and not in control of my abilities, my own parents feared me. They sought advice from the Gotei 13 and I was taken to the twelfth division to be fully tested and analyzed. I was only seven years old at the time, and my parents left me alone with the scientists, allowing them to run their tests with little consideration of the fact I was only a child. They concluded that I could be dangerous and I heard them call for the second division to come and incarcerate me. I admit that being young, I inadvertently damaged my parents' house and property, but it was because I had had no guidance in understanding or using my abilities…and now I was to be their prisoner. I escaped from the twelfth division and went into hiding in the Rukongai. I remained in the lower section, moving from place to place until I stumbled upon an old shinigami who agreed to train me if I agreed to work for him. I cared for his basic needs and he helped me to learn to control and mask my reiatsu, to use basic kido and healing spells and he helped me to connect with my zanpakutou."

He paused for a moment, considering his words.

"When Kyouka Suigetsu revealed himself to me, he displayed worries that I could be incarcerated again and that he and I would be separated. So it was my zanpakutou that first suggested I use his power to conceal myself."

"But Kyouka Suigetsu is a water-based zanpakutou!" exclaimed Byakuya, "We've all seen your shikai."

"No," said Aizen solemnly, "What you have seen is an illusion. Kyouka Suigetsu's power is that it can control the senses of the ones who see his shikai. He controls their senses and they see, hear, taste, touch, smell and sense whatever he wants them to. This is the power I have been using to conceal our private interactions. Even right now, I am using this power."

"That is why you can approach me anywhere…and can make me believe we are somewhere other than we are," Byakuya said, wide-eyed, "Aizen taichou, that is an amazing power!"

"Byakuya," Aizen said, reaching out to touch the youth's face, "You do not need to be so formal with me. This is what I meant when I said that I was concerned that if I told you who I was you would act differently. When we are together like this, you may call me Sousuke."

"Sousuke, then. That is an amazing power. But I understand why the Gotei 13 was concerned. It is an extremely dangerous power."

"Which is why I keep it…and my true face concealed. May I count on you to keep what you know to yourself, Byakuya?"

"Of course," said the youth, nodding, "You have certainly kept what you know of me to yourself. I'll do no less. You have my word."

He broke off as he spied Senbonzakura's spirit emerging from his blade. At the same time, a slender, dark haired and green-eyed man emerged from Kyouka Suigetsu.

"What are they about?" asked Byakuya, watching as the masked samurai approached the green-eyed man and paused, staring.

"It looks as though they are getting to know each other," said Aizen, smiling somewhat cryptically, "Never mind them. I think we were in the midst of something more interesting."

Byakuya smiled as the two zanpakutou spirits left through the garden doors. A servant peeked in through the inner bedroom door, studied the illusion of Byakuya that lay sleeping in the bed, and then walked away.

"That's almost chilling," the young noble observed.

"Do you fear it, Byakuya?" asked the brown-eyed shinigami, meeting his eyes questioningly.

"I think a person would have to be insane not to be…to some extent, ne Sousuke? If such a power was misused…"

"That is the excuse the Gotei 13 used to try to imprison me. They are quite shortsighted, Byakuya. They would rather have locked me away and let me rot than to actually see the beauty and usefulness of my powers. It is a corrupt society we live in, watashi no koi. You are young yet and sheltered by your nobility, but I think that if you haven't come to that on your own yet, you certainly will, given time. But enough about such things. Now that I have revealed myself and answered your questions, I think we should avail ourselves of the rest of this lovely night. Now, you were very attentive to my body earlier on, so I think it is my turn to explore yours a bit more."

Byakuya smiled and laid back against the pillows, watching Aizen's handsome face smile down at him as he moved closer and opened the youth's yukata again. He let his hungry brown eyes run up and down Byakuya's exposed flesh, making the youth blush. The older man's length twitched softly and began to harden again at the sight. He gave Byakuya's length the lightest touch with his fingertips and the youth inhaled sharply, his cock swelling in response to being awakened again. Aizen wrapped his hand around it, watching it swell, then milking drops of fluid from the flushed head. Capturing the sticky fluid on his fingertips, he then ran his wetted fingers down the side of the youth's face. He followed the damp pathway he had made, with his tongue, licking his essence away and leaving the aroused noble, moaning and panting softly as he worked his way over Byakuya's flushed face and throat, down the fine lines of his chest, lingering on his soft, white belly and thoroughly enjoying a deep plunge into his navel. Byakuya's hips rose upward and he panted harder, his lips releasing soft pleadings for more.

"Kami, that feels _amazing_, Sousuke," he managed.

The older shinigami's mouth moved lower, sucking in one side of the youth's sac and pleasuring it as his one hand wrapped around the youth's cock and moved painfully slowly up and down its length.

"Oh…Oh gods, S-sousuke!"

His mouth moved lower, finding Byakuya's entrance and probing and exploring it until the youth's moans had become feverish and his words faded into incoherence. His fingers sank into Byakuya's body, pushing in deeply and pumping gently as Aizen wrapped his mouth around the younger shinigami's wet, needy arousal and began to suck deeply.

"Oh, Sousuke!" the youth moaned, his eyes closing and his back arching.

The fingers inside the youth hooked and Byakuya's hips thrust upward. Aizen's hand wrapped around a bare, white hip, steadying it and allowing the youth's hips to continue thrusting gently. His mouth slid up and down more quickly, his tongue stroking the wet shaft and making the youth's body tremor warningly.

"Ah, stop teasing!" gasped Byakuya feverishly.

"Oh?" said Aizen, smiling devilishly, "I seem to remember someone teasing me rather shamelessly, Byakuya…"

Aizen's fingers tightened around the base of the youth's member, staving off release and making the flush on Byakuya's skin deepen. Still holding him tightly, the older shinigami thrust the fingers of his other hand deep into the young noble's body, striking the pleasure center inside and forcing a sharp cry from his panting mouth.

"You're torturing me!" Byakuya gasped, "S-sousuke!"

"Am I hurting you?" said Aizen blithely, "I could stop."

"Damn you!" Byakuya snapped, half seriously, "Let me go! I can't…can't…"

"Can't climax?" said Aizen, smiling more widely at the youth's lovely and hypnotically writhing form, "Oh my…I should do something about that, ne?"

He gave the young noble's leaking arousal a wickedly slow, teasing lick, savoring the riled head and making Byakuya fall back against the pillows, shaking, sweating profusely and loosing a nasty growl of protest. His objections gave way to a sigh of approval as the older man released his length and crawled up the length of the youth's body, kissing and sucking at his skin and leaving an erratic trail of light pink markings. His mouth clamped down on Byakuya's and his tongue plunged inside, treating every inch to hot probing touches and seething licks. Byakuya sucked hungrily on his tongue, pressing his hips upward, aggressively seeking friction. Aizen laughed softly and pushed the youth's thighs wide, positioning himself in between them, then teasing the soft inner thighs with his wet erection.

"For kami's sake, Sousuke…!" the noble panted furiously.

"What?" Aizen asked, gazing at him placidly, "Do you want something, Byakuya?"

"Wh-what? You…!"

"I want to hear it," Aizen purred, bending to lick the wetness from the head of his tormented cock.

Byakuya groaned and moved his hips fitfully.

"N-no! It's…It's not…"

"Not proper?" asked Aizen, smirking, "_My_ Byakuya is anything _but_ proper…seemly…quiet and thoughtful. _My_ Byakuya has a feisty, flaring temper, a blistering tongue and he's going to tell me what he wants, ne?"

He rubbed his thick, wet cock against the young noble's, leaning forward to nip at Byakuya's biting lips. He slipped his fingers back inside the youth and very lightly teased the bundle of sensitive nerves. Byakuya's body quivered and he moaned a surprisingly foul-mouthed objection.

"That's more like it," Aizen said, quirking his lips and rubbing a hand up and down the riled youth's thigh, "We're almost there…just tell me what you desire, Byakuya and I'll make it happen."

"N-n…hah…ah," the noble panted, dizzily.

"Oh, I didn't understand that at all," said the older shinigami, "What was that?"

"F-fu…hah…oh…," Byakuya moaned, closing his eyes.

"Hmmm, this is quite the battle of wills, ne?" said Aizen, grinning and pulling away.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting…capitulation, most likely. But the older shinigami was pleasantly surprised as a flash step sounded and Byakuya's body brought his to the floor. The noble's eyes flashed with passion and his legs wrapped around Aizen's body as his mouth clamped down on his lover's and he released the words he had been holding back onto Aizen's lips.

"I want you inside me," he whispered hotly, bringing his hips down and taking in Aizen's thick member in a single, brutal thrust, "I want to feel you inside me, Sousuke. I need your heat to fill me…to stay inside and remind me that even though I belong to them…that I also belong to you. And this…this is more than worth waiting for…Sousuke. You are worth dying for!"

He fell forward, spreading his open palms on the older man's chest as Aizen's hands wrapped around his sweating hips and encouraged their savage rise and fall. He gazed into the youth's hazed and nearly senseless eyes as Byakuya's body raged atop his, warming him in every way a body could be warmed.

_I wish it could always be like this, watashi no koi. But deep down, we both know that, sooner or later our other lives will crash in on this one. But we won't think about that day. For now, we will live here…our bodies made one, our very souls brought together._

Aizen's hand wrapped around Byakuya's slick erection, pumping it in time with the youth's increasingly ragged motions atop his body. He thrust upward into that beautiful tightness, watching the explosion of pleasure across his young lover's face, and taking some pleasure in knowing that not another living soul would ever see it as he did. Byakuya's hard, ringing cries struck his ears and sent a shock wave through his body, sending his thoughts spinning away and carrying him off into sweet oblivion. His cock pulsed and throbbed, sending his release into his lover's body and he watched as Byakuya sighed in relief at the sensation. His shaking body collapsed into Aizen Sousuke's waiting arms, and within moments, Byakuya had gone quiet and almost still, just panting softly against the older man's shoulder, his yukata barely managing to hang on to one pale shoulder, the swirls of raven black hair in disarray. His lips wrapped around just one word as he drifted off.

"S-sousuke…" he whispered wearily.

It echoed in the older man's mind as he held his sleeping lover and gazed into the flickering light of the fire.

_I would ask myself what I thought I was doing, getting involved with him like this. He cannot be part of my plans. I will not even try to include him. I'll simply have to shield him from it all. He and his zanpakutou are already deeply under my influence. When the time comes…_

Byakuya sighed and his lips sought Aizen's for several sleepy kisses before he yawned and drifted off again. The older shinigami gently rubbed his lover's back and breathed in the scents of their lovemaking, his mind meandering away from the melancholy he decided he would rather just avoid for now.

For now, they lay together, enjoying the heat of the fire and the passion that was running through their veins.

For now, they could avoid the things that would separate them.

For now, there was someone to fill his arms, to seek his touch, and to give his affections to.

And for now, Byakuya desired him…

"Aishiteru yo…Sousuke," the youth's soft voice breathed almost soundlessly, sending a soft, surprised jolt through his heart.

_He doesn't know what he's saying…_

But there was deep truth in the soft, clinging hands that held on to him, in the warm press of the youth's body against his…

_And just as I told him that for that fleeting moment upon waking, we are our true selves here too, as he spin away into sleep, we are brought back to ourselves._

_How can he be making me feel this way?_

_How can he make me feel?_

_Byakuya…_

_Aishiteru yo…_


	6. Hougyoku

**Chapter 6: Hougyoku**

(A few years later)

Byakuya sat quietly at his desk in the sixth division, his body focused on his work, but his mind distracted with thoughts of his lover. Even though they were separated by several streets and buildings, he could feel his lover's presence nearby and his body hummed and ached softly in anticipation of the next time they would see each other. His eye strayed to the straight, solemn form of his grandfather as Ginrei worked nearby, then out the window to the red-orange late afternoon sky. He looked back down at his work and put the finishing touches on his last report as a courier entered the room.

"Kuchiki fukutaichou," said the courier, "Aizen taichou requests copies of the reports on Squad Six's last mission. Squad Five will be following up the work done there and requires gathered intelligence on the area."

"Ah, that will take a bit of time to prepare," acknowledged Byakuya, glancing up at Ginrei for a moment, "Go back to Aizen taichou and inform him that I will arrive shortly with the requested information and be at his disposal to answer any questions he might have."

"Hai, Kuchiki fukutaichou!" the courier said flash stepping away.

"Byakuya," Ginrei said quietly, catching his grandson's eye.

"Hai, Kuchiki taichou," Byakuya answered dutifully.

"It shows commendable thoroughness to make certain the team that follows us into that area will be well-informed. I am sure that Aizen taichou is anxious for the information. You may go immediately to gather it and take it to the fifth division."

"Of course," Byakuya replied, bowing, "I will see you later this evening then?"

Ginrei sighed.

"My apologies, Byakuya. I have a meeting in an hour and a late strategy-planning meeting for the upgrades being made to the Seireitei's defenses. I shall be quite busy."

"Not to worry, Kuchiki taichou. I will see you when you return home, then."

"Very well."

Byakuya left the main building and visited the sixth division archive to gather the requested information, then departed the sixth division and headed for the fifth. He was nearly there when a male voice rose up behind him.

"Ohayo, Byakuya-san. Where are you off to? I would think you would be on your way home by now, eh?"

Byakuya frowned solemnly.

"What do you want, Gin? I am taking important information to the fifth division for Aizen taichou."

"Ah, mixing business with pleasure, ne?" Gin queried, grinning, "But he has been away for a while. I am sure he has missed you too."

"Gin, if you have nothing important to say, then…"

He broke off as Gin moved closer, lowering his voice.

"It is sure to be a sweet reunion, full of lust and passion, ne Byakuya?" he said quietly.

Byakuya tried to flash step past him, but was stopped as Gin caught him by the arm.

"Where are you going, Byakuya?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, "Remember…one word from me and your secret life will come crashing down around you."

His eyes glinted softly, sending a soft shiver through the noble.

"As if you dared," Byakuya said, glaring at the silver-haired shinigami, "Sousuke would kill you…and I doubt anyone would notice you were gone."

Gin's eyes darkened and his smile faded.

"Perhaps you are safe for now," he said with chilling calm in his voice, "but whether I say anything or not, you will be found out eventually, Byakuya. I, for one, look forward very much to watching your perfect little world come apart."

Byakuya pulled free of the other young man and flash stepped away, leaving Gin looking after him and shaking his head in mock sympathy.

"I _almost_ feel sorry for you for the fall you will take when the time comes, Byakuya. _Almost…_"

Byakuya reached the fifth division and stepped inside, glad to have gotten away from Gin. He never seemed to tire of trying to bait the noble heir into anger. And as much as he tried to ignore the other young man's jibes, the words struck very close to home.

"Ah, Kuchiki fukutaichou," said the fourth seat of the fifth division as he entered the office, "I will take those for you. Aizen taichou is busy at the moment, but he asks that you wait in his quarters so that he can question you privately about the notes you brought."

"Arigato," Byakuya said, turning away.

He left the office and walked down the hallway to Aizen's private quarters. The touch of his hand released the lock on the door and it opened in front of him. Byakuya stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He felt calm again, being surrounded by the warm and familiar environment, being away from all of the eyes that _expected_. Here, he felt accepted.

_Kuchiki Byakuya…_

The noble froze at the sound of the voice in his mind. It was not Sousuke's, nor any he had heard before.

_Come closer, Byakuya._

His breath caught softly and he looked around. At first, he saw nothing unusual…just the tidy taichou's chambers…the dresser and desk, the bed that he and the fifth division taichou would soon be sharing, the open door into the bathroom, the covered glass door that led out to the private courtyard, where they would have their tea…

Something on the desk glinted and caught his eye.

_Yes…this way._

His feet moved, although he hadn't intended to move them. He reached the desk and looked down at the item that had caught his attention. It was large for a crystal and looked deceptively benign. But immediately upon seeing it up close like that, he felt the awful power inside of it.

"What…are you?" he whispered, staring.

He heard Aizen's step approaching the door and flash stepped back to the middle of the room as the door opened and the fifth division taichou stepped inside, smiling at the sight of the lovely young man who awaited him.

"Byakuya," he said quietly, "It is very good to finally see you again. I've missed you."

Byakuya folded himself readily into the older man's arms, losing himself in a hail of hungry kisses as his lover's arms enfolded him.

"It seems like you were away forever, Sousuke," he answered, between kisses, "I could have died of boredom!"

"My apologies," said Aizen, "I hated being away from you as well."

Byakuya's lips made a line of warm kisses down the 'v' in the front of the other man's uniform.

"Unfortunately, I will have to ask you to wait in here just a bit longer, Byakuya. I have something I need to finish."

"Hmmm," Byakuya sighed, sliding his hands down the brown-eyed taichou's torso as he dropped onto his knees in front of the man, "Let me deliver my message, Aizen taichou, and then you can keep me waiting as long as you must."

The bespectacled taichou moved a hand towards his sword, but was stopped just short of it.

"No," Byakuya said, loosening the man's clothing, then sliding a slender hand around his bared bottom, "I want you this way first. You can show me your true form when you come back…but I want to look at you this way while I pleasure you this time."

Aizen smiled down at the beautiful sight of the Kuchiki heir kneeling between his thighs and nodded in acquiescence. Byakuya's lips quirked and he kept his large gray eyes fastened on the gentle eyes of Aizen taichou as he sucked the man's cock into his pristine mouth and began to slide up and down his length. The sweet pink tongue caressed Aizen's long, hard shaft, making the older man's adoring eyes go soft and hazy as they watched, and were entranced by the view of Byakuya's pretty, calm face that belied the fact that the young man was currently doing something so improper.

"Oh, this may have been a mistake," observed Aizen, breathlessly, "I may forget what I still needed to do and take you to bed now, Byakuya…"

He threaded his fingers into Byakuya's silken black hair encouraging the rise and fall of the noble's mouth on his thick erection. He moaned softly and moved his hips, his fingers tightening as his pleasure increased and he fucked the noble's wonderfully hot mouth until his legs weakened and his breath shortened into soft, longing moans. He rested his hands on the young man's strong shoulders and lowered his head, panting heavily as Byakuya's free hand ran up his inner thigh, paused to gently rub his sac, then moved on to tease his entrance before the noble's slender fingers pushed inside him. The mouth around his member clamped down and Byakuya's fingers hooked, sending electric jolts of pleasure through him as his body quivered and pulsed in release. It was truly exquisite, he thought, seeing Byakuya in full uniform and wearing the markers of his nobility, his face tranquil as he knelt at his lover's feet and fed so enthusiastically on his essence.

Barely emptied, he grabbed the young man and threw him down on the bed, attacking his mouth and licking his own seed from those sweet, wet lips. He left Byakuya nearly dressed, only moving aside what clothing he had to, to bare the younger man's needy erection and treat it to the same attentions his own had just been given. He was already hard again by the time Byakuya's body shuddered and yielded to his ministrations, loosing the seething pulses of his release into Aizen's devouring mouth, then fell back, panting and beautifully flushed.

"Are you sure that other business can't wait, Sousuke?" the young man asked softly, "I'm still aching for more of you…"

"Ah…unfortunately, I have to go," Aizen said regretfully, "but I will be back soon. Why don't you change into something more suitable for our lovemaking and have a glass of sake while you wait? I won't be long."

"Very well," the noble sighed, reluctantly releasing Aizen and sliding to his feet.

Aizen stood and set his uniform back in place, his eyes following Byakuya as he selected a dark red yukata that made Aizen Sousuke even more regretful about having to leave. His cock throbbed fitfully as the noble slipped out of his clothes and wrapped the silken fabric around his slender form.

"I think you will not keep me waiting very long, ne?" said Byakuya, smirking.

Aizen knew better than to move closer or to kiss the noble again before leaving…

Byakuya watched as he left the room, then crossed to where the sake bottle and glasses waited on the desk. His eye strayed to the crystal he had seen there earlier as he poured the sake and sipped at it absently.

_What are you? _he wondered, gazing more intently.

He was surprised by a soft flicker in the device's facted depths that froze him in place as its voice reached into his mind again.

_Such desire between you…such passion, Byakuya. It is very sweet, of course, but it is a liability._

The noble caught his breath sharply, straining against the power that held him. He sensed again the extreme danger of the device and struggled to pull away.

_You must understand his importance. I cannot achieve my desires unless he achieves his. And he will not do that if he is distracted._

"L-let me go!" Byakuya gasped, his eyes going wide.

_Why? Are you afraid of me, Byakuya? You are, aren't you? But why? My power…my only power is to give souls what they desire. How is that dangerous?_

"Stop!"

_You have strong desires too, Byakuya. So I have decided to help you._

"What do you mean?"

_I have heard the longing of your heart, young noble._

"What?"

_You love Aizen Sousuke. And deep down, you want to give him everything. You want to marry him. If you could, you would give him a child. Why Byakuya, I think you would even die for him. Lovely…_

"Let me go!"

_Reach out and touch me._

"No!"

Byakuya gasped as his hand moved of its own accord and reached for the device. He threw his weight back, desperate to break free, but found himself unable. He watched in horror as his fingertips came in contact with it, and light flared around it. The light flowed out and into his shocked form, flooding his body with the wicked power.

Byakuya staggered back, the light flashing until it blinded him. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the floor, bracing himself. He felt the dark power all around him now.

"S-sousuke," he moaned, "What is this horrid thing? Where did it come from?"

_So many questions, young noble. But I cannot let you learn the answers. Rest now. When Aizen Sousuke returns, it will begin. Your desires are about to be fulfilled, Kuchiki Byakuya…_

The power swelled inside Byakuya's body one last time, shocking his senses and sending him sliding the rest of the way to the floor. The dark voice followed him, even into unconsciousness.

_Enjoy my gift…Byakuya._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Byakuya?"

The noble stirred softly and his eyes blinked open. He found himself lying in Aizen Sousuke's arms, and vaguely remembered feeling pain and collapsing. His lover's worried eyes looked down into his and Aizen's hands caressed his wrists gently.

"Are you all right?" Aizen asked.

Byakuya nodded briefly and sat up slowly, placing a hand on his head as a flash of pain shot through it.

"What happened?" he asked softly, "How did I…?"

"I was about to ask you the same question, watashi no koi. I came back from the meeting I had to attend and found you collapsed here. Do you…remember what happened?"

Byakuya looked around slowly, remembering something about going to the desk and pouring a glass of sake.

_There was something…_

But when he looked, the desk was empty except for the sake bottle and a glass. Byakuya's own glass lay broken on the floor, next to him.

"I can't remember," he said, shaking his head, then regretting it as pain shot through it again.

Aizen's arms wrapped around him, lifting him and carrying him back to the bed.

"I will have a healer…"

"No," objected the noble, "They cannot see me here like this."

"I must make sure you are all right. Do not worry. I have already sent an illusion of you back to Kuchiki Manor to sleep. This is a private healer, one who knows not to speak of what he sees."

"Ah," said Byakuya, leaning back against the pillows, "Very well, Sousuke."

He closed his eyes, still trying to remember. Aizen's footsteps faded away. He returned a short time later with another man, who leaned over Byakuya and examined him thoroughly.

"It is unclear why he collapsed," the healer concluded, "He seems to have suffered some kind of odd power disruption. He seems to be recovering from it, but it would be advisable to try to learn what it was that caused it. Such a shock on his systems could well have killed him."

"Was he attacked then?" Aizen asked.

"I do not know what caused the disruption…only that it was very powerful. I am sorry Aizen-sama."

"That is all right. You may go. Byakuya and I will attempt to uncover more and I will call you if you are needed again."

Byakuya rested quietly against the pillows as the healer left and his lover undressed and slipped into bed next to him.

"We had best not make love tonight," Aizen suggested, "Perhaps after a good night's rest…"

Byakuya sank wordlessly into Aizen's arms, his mind still trying to make some sense of what had happened.

Because something _had _happened.

He was convinced of it.


	7. The Gift

**Chapter 7: The Gift**

Byakuya felt an uncomfortable ache in his head and stomach and opened his eyes. He found himself lying stretched out on his stomach, where he had fallen asleep after a very lengthy bout of lovemaking that had left him feeling exhausted and happy…almost willing to forget the unwelcome argument that had preceded the interlude.

_"Sousuke, I know something is going on. I have known for a while. I just…I thought that if it was something that you wanted me involved in, you would have told me."_

"_But I do not want you involved in this, so I will ask you to not question me about it."_

"_But understand, if you mean to hurt people close to me, people I care about…then you mean to hurt me," he argued softly, "And remember that we are officers of the Gotei 13! We are sworn to protect this land, the laws…and that means…"_

"_The actions I am taking are personal, Byakuya. They are not the business of the Gotei 13 and they do not concern you. I will promise you, watashi no koi, that no harm will come to you or to those you care about. I will make sure you are protected. Just…trust me, and do not involve yourself in this."_

_He wrapped his arms around the frowning noble and attacked his mouth with kisses to quiet his objections. Byakuya tried desperately to hold onto his anger, to continue his questions, but the rush of hot, desirous kisses and the affectionate play of the man's hands over his body distracted him away from his concerns. All too soon, they were bared and his body was sweetly invaded, filled and left wonderfully sated. And every time he woke through that long night, those dark eyes undid him, the warm hands and soft voice enchanted him and left him completely helpless in his lover's arms._

But it hurt him to wake and find himself alone.

He rolled over to search the other pillow for his lover's lingering warmth and scent and found himself looking at a long stemmed red rose. He picked it up and read the note that lay beneath it.

"_My Byakuya, Apologies for riling you last night and for my refusal to explain. I said before that we would need to keep our public and private worlds carefully separate, and that there would be things I would not include you in, for your own protection. I know it is frustrating for you. We are so open to each other in other ways, it feels natural for you to want to be protective. And be assured it is my own protectiveness of you that is dictating my course of action here. You are my lover, but you are also the heir of the Kuchiki clan and there are some things you must steer clear of as a matter of honor. In any case, I hope that you accept my apologies and that you will meet me at my division later today for dinner and a moonlight walk. I am looking forward to seeing you under the full moon. Lovingly, Sousuke_."

"And how am I supposed to maintain any sort of indignation when faced with such sentiments?" the noble sighed, "Sousuke, I want to let this go. I want to trust you. But I feel something inside that tells me…"

He broke off as his attendant stepped into the room.

"Good morning, sir," he said pleasantly, "I have been instructed to assist you in preparing for a meeting of council."

"I wasn't aware of any meeting this morning," Byakuya mused.

"It is short notice," said Ginrei from behind the attendant as Byakuya sat up and brushed the hair out of his eyes, "But council just received word that the Kuromatsu Clan has had a desirable change of leadership. The leader, Shoji, has been ousted and his cousin, Kenji, has been named the new head of household."

"That _is_ good for us," acknowledged Byakuya, nodding, "It should settle things between our clans for the first time in the past hundred years."

"Yes," agreed Ginrei, nodding, "but it will take some diplomacy on both sides to manage it. Kenji's first act upon assuming control of the clan was to offer his sister, Ena's, hand to you. That is why the council meeting was called so quickly. We had considered matching you with Ena before, but Shoji refused to allow it. Her powers are certainly respectable. She is actually the best match for you among the available noble women in the clans, so we want the courtship to proceed amicably for both clans."

Byakuya lowered his eyes and bit his lip gently.

"Ah…" said Ginrei, reading his expression and nodding in understanding, "I think we are all surprised at the suddenness of what is happening. I understand your feelings Byakuya. But you have always known that a marriage of state was likely, in your case. It comes with the title of heir."

"Yes, Grandfather. I apologize for my reaction. It is just…unexpected."

"Do not worry, Byakuya," Ginrei assured him, "There will be a long enough courtship that the two of you will have time to adjust to the idea. I am sure that once you get to know each other, the idea of this marriage will be less daunting. After all, you and Ena are in this together. She is probably as surprised and unnerved as you."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, taking a few breaths to steady himself, "I am sure she is."

He climbed out of bed and made his way to the dressing area, standing quietly as Ginrei left and his attendant began to dress him.

_What am I going to do?_

_What in kami's name am I going to tell Sousuke?_

XXXXXXXXXX

"You are late," Aizen said calmly, looking up as Byakuya flash stepped into the fifth division taichou's private garden, "What kept you? Was it your new fiancée, my Byakuya?"

He looked more closely at his lover's tormented expression and wrapped an arm around him, bringing him in for a long, deep kiss of greeting. Byakuya's eyes gazed back at him in wonder.

"What's wrong? Were you thinking that I would be angry with you?" Aizen asked softly, running his fingers gently through the long strands of his hair, "You are heir to the leadership of your clan. It was almost a given that, at some point, you would be given into a marriage of state."

"And…that doesn't bother you?" Byakuya asked incredulously, "Sousuke, I thought that you loved me!"

Aizen smiled warmly.

"I do."

"But…" said the noble, furrowing his brow, "You are just going to stand by and watch me marry someone else? You can do that? Because, I know I couldn't. I couldn't bear to think of you marrying someone else, lying down with that person…living a lie like that!"

"And where is the lie, watashi no koi? Haven't you already been leading a double life for some time now?"

"Yes, I admit that," said Byakuya, frowning, "but Sousuke, even though we were not open about our love, I never…I didn't enter that love with the intention of marrying someone else!"

"What? Were you entertaining some odd fantasy about marrying me?" asked the older man, looking into Byakuya's eyes and suddenly understanding, "Ah…I see. You accepted things as they were out of necessity, but you pushed away what you didn't want to be faced with. I'm sure you see now that it was not wise to entertain such notions."

"What?" Byakuya asked, staring, "What are you saying?"

"Byakuya, you must not lie to yourself like that. You are a noble…and you will be a clan leader. The rules of your clan forbid you marrying beneath you, and they forbid you marrying a male, as we could not produce an heir. And even if we could produce an heir and your family would accept me as your mate, I do not wish to become part of a family that would only look down on me. It wouldn't be good for anyone."

Byakuya let out a tremulous breath and lowered his eyes. Aizen's hand caught his chin and brought their eyes back together again.

"You know the truth of this, Byakuya," he said gently, "You always have. You and I cannot be married and we cannot make a family together. I have told you that your marriage to the noble woman will not anger me. I understand that it's unavoidable."

"No," Byakuya whispered, his eyes flashing, "No! I don't want to marry someone else! I want to be with you! And I don't want to lie about it…or have it be something that would disgrace us all if it came out. Sousuke, I am not ashamed of loving you. I am willing to fight my family for the right to be with you! Are you saying that…that you don't…?"

He swallowed hard, not daring to force out the words.

"Sousuke, how can you say you love me, if all you want is…?"

He looked into his lover's placid face and let out a soft, unbidden sob.

"Th-that's all this is to you?" he asked in a choked whisper, "Some stupid fantasy we indulge in that you never intended to be more? I thought that this was _real_!"

"What I feel for you is real, Byakuya," Aizen assured him, pulling him close, "It is very real. But I told you when this began that our relationship had to be kept private. It's not going to do either of us any good to agonize over elements of society that we do not control. It is your duty, as the future clan leader to serve your noble clan by taking this girl's hand in marriage, and that is exactly what you will do. I have already said that I accept the situation. I am not saying that I'm going to leave you. Why does this trouble you so?"

Byakuya let out a disbelieving breath.

"Because it's a lie!" he hissed furiously, "And when two people stand in front of their families and vow to love, honor and cherish each other, they should mean it! It should be the truth. I cannot get up in front of all of those people and marry her, promise those things to her, when the only one my heart will ever belong to is you!"

"But Byakuya," Aizen said, shaking his head, "You have already been lying to yourself, and your family, for years. And now…"

"That is different, Sousuke," Byakuya insisted, tears leaking onto his face, "Those vows are sacred…and if I say them, then I have to mean them! I cannot marry this girl. I cannot say those things with anyone but you."

"Then we are regrettably at an impasse, because I cannot say them for you, Byakuya, and I cannot promise that will change. It depends on many things that cannot be forseen."

"But why?" Byakuya asked softly, "Why can't you promise those things to me? Could you promise them to someone else? Is _that_ what this is about? You love someone else?"

"No!" Aizen said firmly, "There is no one I love more than I love you, Byakuya. It is just…a very complicated situation. You and I have crossed societal boundaries that we were not meant to cross. We did so for the purest of reasons, but it was still wrong."

"It's not wrong for two people to follow their hearts and love each other, even if it means breaking the rules and taking the consequences. I would do that gladly for you!"

The brown-eyed shinigami's fingers brushed away Byakuya's tears and his lips quieted the younger man's protests.

"I know you would," he whispered, "but I do not want you to be hurt like that. And you _would_ get hurt, Byakuya. You would be fighting a political system that has consumed more than a few like you…noble in the purest sense, not just by name. And think about it, Byakuya. Think about how such a thing would impact your grandfather. Ginrei is an honorable man…and he has suffered some staggering losses. He agonized over your father's death. He hated himself for pushing Soujun into the military. But he was just responding to his sense of familial duty. It is a horridly difficult thing and the price for it is very high, Byakuya. But you cannot change that…not by rebelling against the rules and not by disappointing your grandfather, who I know you love and respect. I am sorry. I wish that things could be different. I long for a day to come where they are. But for now, we have to accept this."

He studied his lover's devastated eyes for several long moments.

"Byakuya, if it will make it easier for you, I could use Kyouka Suigetsu to give you the illusion you need to take your vows. If you think you will not be able to do that, but you know you must, out of respect for your family, then I can use my power to ease your heart and get you through this."

Byakuya shook his head firmly.

"It will be a lie regardless," he said softly, "but as we are without hope for our own happiness, I shall simply force myself to say the words. Do not worry, Sousuke. I will manage."

"Of course you will," Aizen said, giving him an encouraging smile, "Byakuya, you are not the first person to be faced with this situation. You may even find that your future wife had her heart somewhere else as well. You may not love each other in the way that you and I love each other, but you can become close to her. Both of you need something to get you through these first steps of a marriage of state."

He slipped his hands into Byakuya's and tugged gently.

"Come, let's go inside and have some tea. Now that you've calmed somewhat, we can talk about how we might work around this marriage of yours."

"N-no," Byakuya said, his face looking pale and drawn, "I think I will have to meet with you another time, Sousuke. I feel weary…and sick at heart. Gomen nasai, I will have to take my leave of you for tonight."

"I am sorry to see you go," said Aizen, kissing him lingeringly, "Get some rest, watashi no koi. We can talk tomorrow."

Byakuya left him in the garden and walked back through his quarters and into the empty fifth division office. He moved towards the door, but stopped as it opened and Gin stepped in.

"Oh, Byakuya," he said mockingly, "I would have thought you and Sousuke would be all cuddled up for the night. Or did news of your engagement upset him too much and he threw you out?"

"Shut up, Gin," Byakuya said in a low voice.

He started to leave, but stopped as Gin's voice rose up behind him.

"Well, if he did forgive you, you'd really have it made, wouldn't you? A pretty girl to keep up appearances at home and a feisty lover to keep your cock hard?"

"Damn you!" Byakuya cried, striking out suddenly and catching the silver-haired shinigami with a stunning blow that sent him crashing to the floor.

A flash step sounded and Aizen appeared in the hallway. He looked from Gin to Byakuya and back again and shook his head.

"Apologize," he said warningly to Gin.

"For what," Gin asked, wiping the blood away from the corner of his mouth, "For speaking the truth? He _is_ about to marry someone else!"

"It's all right," Byakuya said, placing a hand on his head, "What he said was true. I just didn't want to hear it."

"But he had no right to torment you with it. I know Gin. I know that's what he was doing."

"I…I have to go," Byakuya said, turning and running out the door.

He was halfway home when his head began to spin and spots appeared before his eyes. He turned away from home and headed for the fourth division, staggering inside and then collapsing less than gracefully onto the floor. He heard Kotetsu Isane's sweet voice calling his name and her hands rubbed his wrists and patted his face. But everything merely spun harder and he sank down into the blackness and silence.

He woke some time later and found himself looking up into the gentle face of the fourth division taichou. She smiled at him and sat back in her chair, studying him in silence for a moment.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, "Are you in any pain?"

"No," Byakuya said softly, "I feel fine now. I was just…overwhelmed before. Likely, it was all of the excitement over my engagement."

"I heard about that," said Unohana, nodding, "but before you get too far into your plans, I think you need to know something."

"What?" Byakuya asked, blinking in confusion.

"You did not collapse due to the pressures of your engagement."

"Then…perhaps I went back to work too soon after my illness a few days ago?"

"You were ill?" the taichou asked.

"I had the flu."

"I see," said Unohana, bowing her head slightly, "I think, actually, that your illness before and your collapse tonight were related."

"Gomen nasai? What is wrong with me?"

"Oh, not to worry," said the sweet-faced taichou, "You are not ill, Kuchiki fukutaichou. You are having these symptoms because you are with child."


	8. Solemn Secret

**Chapter 8: Solemn Secret**

"Kuchiki fukutaichou," said the fourth division taichou, "You look troubled. I think I understand the nature of the difficulty, but would you like to discuss it?"

Byakuya fought down the sudden threat of tears and shook his head. He rested quietly as the healer gently opened his yukata and placed her hands on his abdomen. She focused her power into the area and tilted her head, smiling.

"You are about a month into your pregnancy and the reiatsu cluster inside you is developing normally."

"Unohana taichou," Byakuya said softly, "You make it sound as though male pregnancies happen all of the time."

The healer smiled and nodded.

"No, you are right to believe they are rare, but they do happen. But usually the surprise is a welcome one to a couple who thought they could not have a child together. Your behavior when you learned of it makes me think that this is not a welcome thing. And given that you are about to enter marriage with someone who could not have been the other parent of this child, I think it safe to say that you are concerned about how your family will receive the news that you have been with someone else. I assume this man is not a noble?"

Byakuya shook his head and sighed in resignation.

"And he does not wish to marry me or have children with me," he admitted in a wounded voice, "I thought that he loved me. He still says that he does…but…Unohana taichou, how can you love someone and think it is all right for that person to enter a marriage with someone else? Lie down with them and make children? And even though I told him I was willing to fight for the right to be with him, he…"

Byakuya stopped himself, mentally replaying their conversation and trying to figure out how the fourth division taichou had gotten beneath his defenses and made him explain.

"It is all right," Unohana taichou assured him, "Remember, whatever you say to your physician is confidential. And I will tell you that if you are to have a healthy child, then you must avoid stress. Your body is not made for childbearing, being that you are male. It will tax your systems. So you must attempt to relieve the pressures in your life as much as possible."

Byakuya smiled sadly.

"I am a noble heir," he said quietly, "Stress is not unexpected."

He fell silent for a moment, thinking.

"Unohana taichou," he said, after several minutes, "How big am I going to get? Will…will it be obvious? I…I mean, I do not wish to disgrace my family."

"You will be able to conceal the swelling in your abdomen. I am sure your tailors at the manor…"

"I don't want anyone to know," he said softly, "If it becomes known that I am with child, it will tarnish our name and threaten my family's position among the noble houses. I do not wish to embarrass my grandfather."

"Very well," said the healer, "If you do not wish to share the information, we are not allowed to tell anyone. But…will you want the father of the child to have access to the information? If there should be difficulty during your pregnancy…?"

"He does not want this child," Byakuya said, blushing as a tear escaped his eye, "He said that marriage and children are not a possibility."

"But he still wishes to see you?" asked the healer, "I do not wish to pry, but you must be aware that the father of this child, if he hasn't already, will soon figure out what is happening. It is in the reiatsu of the baby. When the father touches you, there will be a reaction in the baby's reiatsu. Soon, he will be able to sense it. So you must decide how to manage that fact."

"He will sense it?" Byakuya asked, choking on the words, "Is there no way to…?"

"It is an innate connection between the parents and child. It cannot be hidden while your bodies are joined."

"So…if I want to be with him…I have to tell him," Byakuya whispered, "But he does not want to have a child with me, so…"

He trailed off and, with an effort, composed himself.

"Arigato, Unohana taichou," he said, sitting up and setting his yukata back in place, "I will think on the matter. Am I free to go?"

"You may go home, but you will need to see Isane to arrange for your prenatal appointments. Because your pregnancy is high risk, I will need to see you once a week for the duration."

Byakuya nodded.

The healer rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Remember what I said," she cautioned him, "You must avoid stress."

"What about the fact that I am in the military? Is battle not a stressful thing?" Byakuya asked.

"Actually yes," Unohana said, nodding, "I will need to remove you from active duty."

"No," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I will…I'll…take a low risk assignment away from the Seireitei or…"

"And how will you make your weekly appointments?"

"I will take care of it," Byakuya said, biting at his lips, "I know a healer in Inuzuri…"

"Inuzuri?" said the healer, looking surprised, "Kuchiki fukutaichou, you are not thinking of taking an assignment there, are you? Life in Inuzuri is quite difficult and certainly not low risk."

"I will take an assignment in the mid-Rukon," Byakuya explained, "and I will go to the healer in Inuzuri for my weekly appointments."

"Well," said Unohana, looking less than pleased, "It seems you are taking some risks, but as your environment will be less stressful and I trust Michio's healing skills, I will go along with this. But you must consider carefully what you are doing, Kuchiki fukutaichou. If you have this child and plan to conceal the fact, you must consider what you will do when the child is born."

Byakuya's breath caught and his expression became tormented. The healer placed a hand on his face and looked into his eyes, making him freeze in place.

"You should not do this alone," she told him firmly, "You need to find someone who you can confide in."

Byakuya couldn't speak past the knot of emotion that welled up inside him, but he nodded briefly.

"Very well, then," said the healer, "I will forward my instructions to Michio and he can assist you. Just do not forget what I said."

Byakuya left the fourth division in a daze and walked slowly back to the sixth, Unohana taichou's words and Aizen's repeating in his head.

_"You are not ill, Kuchiki fukutaichou. You are having these symptoms because you are with child."_

_"You know the truth of this, Byakuya," Aizen said gently, "You always have. You and I cannot be married and we cannot make a family together."_

"But why?" Byakuya whispered, "Why am I the only one who wants these things?"

He opened the door to the sixth division and was relieved to find that his grandfather was not there. He summoned a hell butterfly and considered his words carefully.

"Grandfather," he told the fluttering insect, "I have decided that I require a period of time for reflection before taking Kuromatsu Ena's hand in marriage. So, I have taken the twelve-month assignment in the mid-Rukon and will be reporting there immediately. I will, of course, return for events related to the courtship and marriage as is expected of me. I simply feel this is necessary to ensure that my nuptials proceed as smoothly as possible."

He left the hell butterfly on Ginrei's desk, then slipped Senbonzakura into his belt and moved on to his quarters to prepare for the trip. A short time later, he emerged to find the office still deserted. He left the sixth division and walked through the oddly quiet streets, through the main gate and out into the Rukongai.

He sighed softly, feeling an ache in his abdomen that told him he should eat, but his heart felt too heavy. Memories of his lover's words echoed in his mind, increasing the discomfort inside. He tried to distract himself with thoughts about his mission, but kept returning to that one awful truth.

_I love Aizen Sousuke in a way he cannot love me. I want things that he does not. And now I have this child growing inside me that we should be preparing to welcome together. But he does not want this…and the truth is…I don't know what he would do if he knew. He is a powerful man. He has greater powers than I do…greater powers than anyone realizes. If he found out about this child, he could…_

He stopped in his tracks in the middle of the street, staring straight ahead and frozen.

_Kami…am I…afraid he will…? Am I afraid Sousuke would hurt our baby? Even if he did not want this child, he wouldn't…_

But if he was completely honest with himself, he couldn't be sure…

_What is wrong with me? Why would I think for a minute that my Sousuke would hurt our baby?_

His lover's voice rose up in his mind.

_"Do you fear it, Byakuya?" asked the brown-eyed shinigami, meeting his eyes questioningly._

_"I think a person would have to be insane not to…to some extent, ne Sousuke? If such a power was misused…"_

Byakuya shivered softly and forced himself to keep moving. He reached the inn he had chosen to stay in and checked into the penthouse suite. He stepped out onto the balcony and spent several minutes taking soft slow breaths of the fresh, cool air.

_Sousuke would never hurt me, _he reassured himself, _and even though he preferred not to be married and have children together, I am sure that if I tell him…_

But as he stared up at the bright white moon, his heart still ached with indecision. Finally, he stepped back in off the balcony and slipped into his bed. He ignored the rumble of hunger he felt and closed his eyes. It took some time, but finally, he managed to drift off.

_They rested quietly on the bed with their bodies still joined, and his seed still warm on their skin. His lover's mouth met his for a slow, deep exploration, and Byakuya looked up into his eyes and read the adoration there._

"_You are so beautiful when you make love with me, Byakuya," Aizen said softly, licking his earlobe and kissing his way down the noble's tender neck._

"_Sousuke," Byakuya panted, "Sousuke, there is…something has happened. I don't know how to tell you. I…worry about what you will think."_

"_Why would you worry?" Aizen asked, running his tongue up the length of his neck and finding his mouth again, "What terrible thing have you done, my reckless lover? You do know that your unpredictability is one of the things that I love most about you…"_

"_Sousuke," he said, gathering his nerve, "The truth is…that I…the reason that I have not been myself lately is…"_

"_You have been under pressure because of this wedding that you do not desire," Aizen said, interrupting him, "I understand. There is nothing wrong with that."_

"_B-but…I…I cannot marry Ena now, Sousuke."_

_Aizen frowned._

"_Why not? Byakuya, you know that we cannot…?"_

"_I know what you said," Byakuya said, nodding, "but…the truth is…the reason I cannot marry Ena…well, it's because I am pregnant."_

_He felt a bolt of coldness pass through him at the expression that flashed across his lover's face before he regained control._

"_You…are pregnant…"Aizen repeated slowly, his eyes carefully controlled and completely unreadable._

"_When I left your division, I collapsed on the way home. And when Unohana taichou examined me, she told me that I am pregnant."_

"_Did you…tell her about us?" the older man asked quietly._

"_No, of course not," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I would not betray your confidence, Sousuke."_

"_But…you have," Aizen said, lifting himself and sitting up, "I told you that we could not make a child."_

"_Sousuke," Byakuya said, meeting his eyes, "It is not as though I did this on purpose. But since it has happened, I think that maybe it is fate telling us that we are meant to be together. Think about it, Sousuke. What were the chances? Male pregnancies are so very rare…and yet I became pregnant. And it means that the clan will accept you. You won't be looked down on…"_

"_Byakuya," Aizen said, looking into his eyes and touching his face gently, "I know you want so much to marry me, to make a family together…but I told you I cannot do this."_

_Byakuya swallowed hard, the hurt filling his heart and making his eyes tear._

"_Sousuke," he said, a low sob invading his words, "I thought that…"_

"_I do love you," Aizen said, one hand on Byakuya's face and one straying to the sword that lay tangled in his clothes, "but this child cannot be."_

"_What do you mean?" Byakuya said, his eyes widening as he climbed to his feet and backed away._

"_You know what I mean," Aizen said, holding Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand and slowly cornering him._

"_What?" Byakuya said, terror filling his eyes, "Sousuke, what are you saying?"_

"_Shh, Byakuya," the older man whispered, moving in closer to him and kissing him gently, "It will be over quickly and you won't even remember that there was a child. And we can continue to be together at will. We have a beautiful love, watashi no koi. Why destroy that?"_

"_How is…being together…rightfully, honorably? How is that wrong?" he asked, trying to pull away._

_Aizen's body blocked his path and the dark brown eyes burned down into his._

"_I told you. I cannot marry you or have a child with you. And I cannot allow this to proceed. I am sorry, Byakuya. Please…forgive me."_

"_No!" Byakuya gasped, "No, don't!"_

"_Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu…"_

"NO!" cried Byakuya, sitting up in bed and gripping the blankets.

His body shook heavily and tears ran heedlessly down his face.

"No," he told himself, "Sousuke would never…he would never hurt…never…"

He climbed out of bed and walked out onto the balcony, taking deep breaths of cold, night air and trying to stop the tears that continued to roll down his face.

_The truth is…I'm terrified. He could be understanding, but if he is not…if he really doesn't want this, he could overcome me and take it away…and I would not even remember! That power is deadly! And no one even knows…_

He froze as a pair of strong arms wrapped around him and Aizen Sousuke's chin came to rest on his shoulder from behind.

"You are difficult to find when you hide, Byakuya," the other man said, kissing his ear.

He paused, noticing the tears on the noble's face. Concern registered in his features, then understanding.

"I am so sorry that I hurt you with what I said," he breathed into Byakuya's ear, "I am enchanted by how much you love me, Byakuya. And I think that you deserve to know that your love is returned in all of that same fullness. What can I do to make you understand, that my refusal to consider marriage is not a sign that my love for you is not equal to yours for me?"

Byakuya met his eyes in desperation.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I try to understand. But I think of how much my mother and father loved each other…and I know I feel love that strong for you. And I do not understand how you can love me that much and let me be forced to marry someone else. I am sick at heart at having to do this…to lie and promise Ena that I will love and honor her, when I cannot do those things. I am made so sick by the falsity of it, I cannot look at my own reflection and not despise myself."

"Do not do this to yourself," Aizen said, kissing his shoulder and tightening his arms around the younger man.

He lifted the noble into his arms and carried him to the bed, then laid him down and climbed onto the bed next to him. His hands slowly opened Byakuya's yukata and his eyes looked down warmly at his lover's bared flesh. He reached out with his fingertips, running them down the noble's exposed torso. His breath caught as Byakuya's hand stopped his and the noble sat up, facing him.

"Byakuya?" Aizen said questioningly, "What is it?"

"I am sorry," the noble whispered, white-faced, "I cannot do this anymore."


	9. The Torrent

**Chapter 9: The Torrent**

_"Byakuya?" Aizen said questioningly, "What is it?"_

_"I am sorry," the noble whispered, white-faced, "I cannot do this anymore."_

Aizen gazed at him appraisingly for a moment, then sighed and nodded.

"I know that this wedding has put a tremendous amount of pressure on you, Byakuya. I thought that your sense of duty would carry you through it, but I see now that your passion for me has overcome even your devotion to your clan. I am…honored, Byakuya, to be loved in such a way. I am deeply honored. And perhaps someday, I will be in a position to honor you with my hand in marriage, but…things being as they are…I do not want to put you in a position where, if the wrong things happen, you could suffer greatly."

"Sousuke, what are you about that simply being married to you would put me at odds with my family? Yes, they would oppose our union initially, but when I tell them about the b…"

Byakuya froze, his eyes flicking towards his lover's, but Aizen seemed not to have taken in what he had been about to say.

"It doesn't have to do with their reaction…and I am sorry that I cannot explain. I promise you that someday I will…when I can. That is the best I can do for now. And Byakuya, if you think it is easy for me to think of you going to bed with the noble woman, you are wrong. I hate the very thought of anyone touching you but me! But it would not be fair of me to ask you to defy your family, when I cannot honor your sacrifice on an equal level right now. The situation is too precarious."

"So…you wish to wait? That is all?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "Sousuke, why didn't you just say that? Why did you act as though you didn't want to consider it at all?"

"I am sorry, watashi no koi," Aizen said, taking his hands, "It is just wrong for me to hold a claim over you that would ruin your life. If I was going to marry you now, myself, certainly, I would happily watch you defy them to your heart's content. But you should not go to such lengths when I do not know when I will be freed to be with you. It may be a long time. I would rather you see to your commitments to the clan and save that defiance for when it will make a difference."

"Then…you think that…"

"I can make you no promises," Aizen said, "And because I cannot promise what the future will bring for us, I will not ask you to make sacrifices on my behalf."

Byakuya captured the ends of the belt on his yukata and slowly tied it. He climbed out of the bed and walked out onto the balcony. He stood quietly, gazing up at the pretty moon and breathing in the cool, night air. He didn't move when his lover's arms wrapped around him, but closed his eyes and let the feeling wash over him one last time.

"Sousuke," he said softly, "I know that you offer me what you can…and believe me when I tell you that I feel horrid for pushing you to give what you cannot. But even as you cannot see a time when we can look forward to those things I wish were ours, I cannot enter my marriage to Ena if it is a lie. Marriage is too sacred a thing. And if I am to marry her, I will need to honor my promises. And that means that…though my heart aches for you, I cannot give myself to you anymore. Perhaps if someday things change, I can leave my marriage…after I have provided an heir to my clan. For now…I will have to part ways with you. As much as you have no right to hold a claim on me, neither will I hold one over you. Let us free each other peacefully then, if with regretful hearts, until a time that offers us a way to reach fulfillment together."

Aizen remained silent for several long minutes, breathing in Byakuya's lovely scent and fixing the warmth that radiated between them in his mind. Then he released the noble and quietly summoned his zanpakutou to his hand, holding it aside, where the noble couldn't see.

"I understand," he said softly, "And even though it is difficult, I will accept it, Byakuya. However, I would like it if we could be together one last time. Our love has been the most beautiful of things, and I would like to make our leave taking as gentle as possible for both of us."

Byakuya shook his head.

"You and I both know that if I lie down with you, I will lose whatever resistance I have to you. I will give in and we will go on in torment. It would only cause more pain, and we already have more than enough of that, Sousuke. In any case, I have duties to attend to here. I am stationed here and meant to protect the town. And I can't do that if my focus is on you."

He turned and started to wrap his arms around the older man, but froze as he realized that Aizen was holding Kyouka Suigetsu. His mind shot back to the dream he had had before.

_"I do love you," Aizen said, one hand on Byakuya's face and one straying to the sword that lay tangled in his clothes, "but this child cannot be."_

_"What do you mean?" Byakuya said, his eyes widening as he climbed to his feet and backed away._

_"You know what I mean," Aizen said, holding Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand and slowly cornering him._

_"What?" Byakuya said, terror filling his eyes, "Sousuke, what are you saying?"_

_"Shh, Byakuya," the older man whispered, moving in closer to him and kissing him gently, "It will be over quickly and you won't even remember that there was a child. And we can continue to be together at will. We have a beautiful love, watashi no koi. Why destroy that?"_

_"How is…being together…rightfully, honorably? How is that wrong?" he asked, trying to pull away._

_Aizen's body blocked his path and the dark brown eyes burned down into his._

_"I told you. I cannot marry you or have a child with you. And I cannot allow this to proceed. I am sorry, Byakuya. Please…forgive me."_

_"No!" Byakuya gasped, "No, don't!"_

_"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu…"_

"Byakuya?" Aizen said, frowning as Byakuya's eyes widened, and the noble backed away from him, "What's wrong?"

"Put your blade down," Byakuya said, tensing in anticipation.

A look of resignation rose onto the older man's face.

"Byakuya, understand, I am more than willing to part ways with you on good terms…but if this is the path that we must travel, then I cannot leave you with the information about my zanpakutou. I swear to you that I will only take that and nothing else. My zanpakutou has a special ability that will make that one revelation disappear from our past."

"You can trust me to keep your secrets, Sousuke," Byakuya said calmly, carefully holding back all signs of the fear that was rushing through his poised body, "Just because we cannot be together…it doesn't mean I will betray our confidences. I know better than that."

"I wish that could be enough," Aizen said moving a step closer, "but I need to be certain. This is not just for my benefit, but also for your own protection. I do not want you to be in a position to fall under suspicion for knowing this about me and not reporting it. It is a very serious offense, and you know it. This is really for the best…for both of us."

"Is it?" Byakuya asked softly, "I thought that we had trust."

Aizen's eyes darkened.

"Apparently neither of us has the level of trust we imagined we did. But this will make trust unnecessary, and it will give you the freedom to move on without reservation."

Byakuya stiffened.

"If you use your blade against me, I will consider it an attack Sousuke. I will defend myself. I have more to protect than just my pride."

"I am not attacking you. I am only taking back something that belongs to me. I will not hurt you in any way. _Please…forgive me, Byakuya_."

The final words shocked the noble soundly. Byakuya felt the rush of incoming power and launched himself off of the balcony. He ignored Aizen's voice and dropped down to the street below then flash stepped away. He felt Aizen's reiatsu move in pursuit and carefully repressed his own reiatsu to make himself more difficult to follow. For the first time, he was glad for all of the training sessions he had had with Shihoin Yoruichi. He might not have any love for her, but the speed he had obtained through years of practice was placing him far enough ahead of the pursuing shinigami that he might actually be able to disappear. Then…

"Going somewhere, Byakuya?" asked Gin's voice as a binding rope wrapped itself around his legs, pulling them out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground.

"Damn you!" he cried, releasing a blast of blue fire and shattering the kido ropes.

He jumped to his feet and started to run again, his ear catching Aizen's voice as he sidestepped another binding kido and turned away.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was just curious where you were off to, Aizen taichou. I had no _idea_ that I was interrupting something private. Then I saw Byakuya turn and run from you and only meant to help."

"Do not lay a hand on him," Aizen said warningly as the two moved to follow, "I will take care of this. Go back to the division and wait for me there."

Gin let Aizen move ahead of him, but quietly repressed his own reiatsu and followed.

"Oh," he said, smirking, "I wouldn't miss _this_ lover's quarrel for anything!"

Byakuya reached the edge of town and flash stepped into the cover of the forest. He moved between the trees swiftly, angling back in the direction of Kuchiki Manor.

_If I can reach the manor…_

A heavy jolt passed through him as he realized.

_What was I thinking? He can reach me anywhere! His power can be used, even in front of a swarm of people. And its touch is so gentle, I won't even feel it as it invades my mind and steals everything away…gods, and if he senses the child? What will he do? Will he take our baby too? Is that something else he cannot leave me with?_

He felt tears slide onto his face and flash stepped faster, moving towards the sound of rushing water.

_The trees will slow him down and the sound of the water will hide any sound I make. If he doesn't sense me…_

He stopped just short of the top of a huge waterfall and concealed himself in the bushes. He drew in his reiatsu tightly and waited, shivering and trying to slow his breathing. A few moments later, Aizen flash stepped into view a short distance away. He paused and surveyed the area, his senses spreading out around him. Byakuya held his breath and remained perfectly still, frozen like a deer and watching the older man scan the area carefully, then shake his head and turn back towards the forest. He waited in silence, listening through the rush of the waterfall for any sounds and waiting to make sure the other man had abandoned the chase. After a time, he ran his hands over his face and slowly crawled out of the brush. He looked around and reached out with his senses, but felt no sign of Aizen's presence.

_Not that he won't just use his powers on me the moment I show my face anywhere. I don't know what to do…how to protect myself from that power! No wonder the councilors of Central 46 feared him. It doesn't excuse what they did to him…but it does explain why they were so worried that they felt they must take action. The tragic part of all this is…if they had helped him instead of imprisoning him, none of this would have happened…_

He walked to a rocky shelf at the top of the waterfall, scanning the area in the distance.

_I'll have to conceal myself in the lower Rukongai. He won't think I would go there. If I repress my powers and blend in, I can avoid him long enough to have our baby. After that, it will be safe enough to return. Even if he uses his powers on me then, he won't know about the baby. And as much as I hate that he will use his powers to overcome my will, I still do trust that he won't hurt me._

_Why did this have to happen?_

_Why?_

A dark, misted image appeared in his mind of him standing in Aizen Sousuke's quarters and moving across the room to pour a glass of sake.

_That voice! I heard a voice…_

He reached deeper and heard the voice again.

_You have strong desires too, Byakuya. So I have decided to help you._

_"What do you mean?"_

_I have heard the longing of your heart, young noble._

_"What?"_

_You love Aizen Sousuke. And deep down, you want to give him everything. You want to marry him. If you could, you would give him a child. Why Byakuya, I think you would even die for him. Lovely…_

_"Let me go!"_

_Reach out and touch me._

_"No!"_

He frowned and closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened next. But the memory slipped away from him again. He shook his head and sighed, then started to turn back towards the forest. He froze in place as he spotted Aizen standing behind him, his zanpakutou out and raised, point down. His hands moved upward reflexively as he saw the other man's lips move, and he loosed a hard blast of blue kido fire, blinding Aizen momentarily. But the force of the spell drove him back and the noble felt his foot touch down in water that took him off balance and dragged him down.

"Byakuya!" Aizen cried, blinking and squinting to clear his eyes.

The noble tried to flash step, but the strength of the current, his inability to see because of the flash of his kido spell and the sudden disorientation of falling combined to undo him and leave him tumbling out of control, over the edge of the waterfall. He fell soundlessly and crashed down into the deep water at the base of the falls. He retained consciousness just long enough to feel the hard shock as his body struck the icy water and to think himself fortunate for not landing on any rocks, then he passed into darkness. His limp body was taken up by the heavy current, and the limb of a fallen tree entangled his wrist and dragged him to the surface of the water, carrying him along as the water took both downstream and deep into the lower Rukongai.

Aizen swept down from the top of the falls, raising a bright light over the area and scanning the water desperately. He reached out with his senses, searching frantically for any sign, a variance in reiatsu, a glimpse of pale flesh in the water, a breath of sakura…_anything_. Finding nothing at the base of the falls, he followed the shoreline on each side for several miles, searching for any hint of someone leaving the water. He was ready to turn back when he caught sight of a flash of light colored material in the water. He ran to the place and found the sleeping yukata Byakuya had been wearing, torn, covered with blood and entangled in a cluster of sharp branches. He scanned the shore around the area, but found no sign of the missing shinigami, or of anyone leaving the water.

"Byakuya," he whispered in disbelief.

His mind spun as he stared down at the torn and bloodstained material.

"Byakuya…" he repeated, unable to tear his eyes away.

"Aizen taichou," said Gin's voice from behind him.

Aizen's hand clenched the yukata tightly.

"I told you to return to the division," he said icily, "Go."

"I am not leaving you here," Gin answered softly, "Not in the state you're in. He is gone. His reiatsu disappeared completely when he fell. I saw. It wasn't your fault. It was his own kido spell that made him fall. It is over. I saw your power connect with him, so even if he somehow survives, he won't remember enough to be dangerous. Come back with me. You cut up your hands searching through those branches."

The silver-haired shinigami moved forward slowly and gently removed the yukata from Aizen's hands. He dropped it back into the water and the two watched it disappear into the rushing current. Gin lifted one of Aizen's scratched and bloodied hands and sent healing power into it, leaning forward and lightly brushing his lips against the tips of the fingers as Aizen stared silently down the shore of the river. Gin coaxed him into sitting down and continued to heal his hands, watching the man's face slowly regain its usual calm.

"I must admit that you were right, Gin," Aizen said quietly, "You said that it wasn't a good idea to pursue someone like that…someone who couldn't be a part of our plans. If I am to end the dominance of the spirit king, his noble houses and Central 46, then I can't allow myself any weaknesses. Not even if it means forgoing love."

Gin shook his head, smiling.

"There now, Aizen taichou, don't think that way," he said, leaning closer, "You don't have to be lonely. You may not have your sweet, noble plaything anymore, but it doesn't mean that you have to be alone."

He brought his lips to the other man's, then froze as Aizen's healed hand pressed against his chest, holding him away.

"I said I can have _no_ weaknesses," he said, gazing into Gin's eyes, "None."

Gin's smile faded and he moved back, lowering his eyes respectfully.

"Of course, Aizen taichou," he said, turning towards the Seireitei, "Will you be coming along then?"

Aizen took a last look down the river and sighed softly.

_Goodbye Byakuya. You will be glad to know that you are the first and last lover I will ever allow myself…_

He turned and joined Gin, and the two flash stepped away together.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya heard a soft sound that barely registered above the sound of the rushing water. He blinked several times and found himself looking up into gentle violet eyes. The woman leaning over him smiled down at him. The cold had invaded him everywhere, and even the tattered blanket she had wrapped around him offered no respite from it.

"Can you stand?" the woman asked him.

He nodded wordlessly and shakily extracted himself from the mud at the edge of the river. The woman caught her breath at the sight of blood on his exposed skin. Byakuya realized suddenly that he had no clothing on…nothing to cover himself with but the thin blanket. He wound it more securely around himself, then leaned against the woman as they moved slowly away from the river and towards a poor looking town.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked softly, trying not to lean too much against her, "What…town is this?"

"Inuzuri," said the woman, leading him along the edge of a derelict building and towards a somewhat sturdier one, "I am taking you to the town healer. He can see to your wounds. I would…but I have no healing powers."

"But you were there to pull me from the water," he replied quietly, "I am grateful to you for that…um…"

"Hisana," the woman provided, smiling up at him again, "My name is Hisana."

"Arigato, Hisana," he whispered as they made their way forward.

"How did you end up in the river?" Hisana asked quietly.

"I...fell," he said, frowning at the fogginess in his mind.

_I know I tried to leave Sousuke, but...something happened._

_Did he...attack me?_

_I don't remember._

_I only remember being afraid for our child...and then falling._

_What happened?_

_Did Sousuke try to kill us?_

_Why?_

_Why would he try to hurt us?_

_Why?_


	10. Tormented

**Chapter 10: Tormented**

**(AN** Hi! And thanks so much for reading along! I have had a few people asking questions about Byakuya and Hisana's relationship in the story…mostly whether I will still have them getting married and such, and here's the scoop without saying too much. They will be married in the story, as they are in canon, but as much is left undefined by Tite Kubo, I will put a creative spin on their relationship that is unique, while still conforming to what is revealed in the manga about the couple. And Hisana will be no threat to the Aizen/Bya pairing in the story…although Sousuke might not see it that way! I hope that clarifies things without giving too much away. Anyway, thanks again for reading and sharing your thoughts! Love, Spunky)**

"You are dismissed," said Soutaichou, watching solemnly as the taichous turned and made their way out of the meeting chambers.

Aizen Sousuke turned and walked out alongside Kuchiki Ginrei.

"Kuchiki taichou," he said quietly, "Have you had any word from your grandson?"

Ginrei shook his head briefly.

"There has been no word since his reiatsu disappeared yesterday," the noble said in a low, weary tone, "I will going back now with a search party."

"Would you like any assistance?" the fifth division taichou asked.

"That will not be necessary," the noble assured him, "There are more than enough squad members to conduct the search. I do appreciate the offer, however. I know that you and my grandson have become close. He has calmed a great deal while he has been under your guidance…and it has been the most content I have seen him since Soujun's death."

"Well," said Aizen, "Byakuya-san and I share many interests. It is a pleasure spending time with him. I do hope he is found soon."

"I do as well. Arigato, Aizen taichou."

The noble nodded briefly and turned towards his division.

"So," said Gin, approaching from behind him, "Is there any word about your missing _friend_?"

"Not yet," Aizen said softly.

He turned in the direction of the fifth division, only half-listening as Gin continued talking. He waited until they were close, then touched his zanpakutou and whispered the release command, leaving an illusion of himself to follow Gin back to the division and moving in the direction of the Rukongai. He passed through the upper sections, his mind turning circles as he tried to come to terms with the possibility that his lover was truly gone. Byakuya's voice echoed in his mind, tormenting him with the memories of just how fulfilling their union had been.

_Byakuya rested senselessly beneath him, his body still shaking as he worked to catch his breath. Aizen saw a tear on one porcelain check and felt a soft shock pass through him._

_He lifted himself off of his young lover, pulling him close._

_"Are you all right?" he asked softly, "Byakuya?"_

_The youth nodded briefly as Aizen brushed the hair out of his eyes._

_"It wasn't…too painful, was it?"_

_Byakuya shook his head, still unable to find his voice. Aizen held the youth against him, feeding him gentle kisses and breathing soft, affectionate words into his ear as he calmed and gathered himself. When he seemed more composed the older man released him and sat, quietly watching as Byakuya struggled for words._

_"I am sorry to have worried you," he whispered finally, "It's just that…that…no one ever wanted this part of me. N-no one ever loved this part of me. They wanted to kill it…to…make it disappear. But you…you…are different. That's why I couldn't say 'no' to you anymore. I had to let you in. You are the only thing that is keeping me alive inside."_

"Byakuya…" he whispered, letting his senses extend around him, searching for the slightest trace.

_"What you have seen is an illusion. Kyouka Suigetsu's power is that it can control the senses of the ones who see his shikai. He controls their senses and they see, hear, taste, touch, smell and sense whatever he wants them to. This is the power I have been using to conceal our private interactions. Even right now, I am using this power."_

_"That is why you can approach me anywhere…and can make me believe we are somewhere other than we are," Byakuya said, wide-eyed, "Aizen taichou, that is an amazing power!"_

_"Byakuya," Aizen said, reaching out to touch the youth's face, "You do not need to be so formal with me. This is what I meant when I said that I was concerned that if I told you who I was you would act differently. When we are together like this, you may call me Sousuke."_

_"Sousuke, then. That is an amazing power. But I understand why the Gotei 13 was concerned. It is an extremely dangerous power."_

_"Which is why I keep it…and my true face concealed. May I count on you to keep what you know to yourself, Byakuya?"_

_"Of course," said the youth, nodding, "You have certainly kept what you know of me to yourself. I'll do no less. You have my word."_

"And you always kept your word," Aizen breathed, "But I know that it would have become a burden for you to know. I would have said nothing, just quietly removed that knowledge, if only you hadn't seen my weapon and panicked, but then, in a way, I understand. My power is frightening, and perhaps it was just too much for me to ask you to submit to it. I don't know. I don't know anymore. I thought it was the right thing, but now I think…perhaps…"

He let the sentence drift off into nothingness as he reached the building where he had last seen Byakuya. He could see up on the penthouse balcony, where Kuchiki Ginrei stood, holding Byakuya's ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu and staring off into the distance.

_Where are you?_

_How could you just disappear without a trace?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya moaned uncomfortably, shifting in his sleep and shivering despite the warm blankets he was wrapped in. Soft whispers reached him, but he couldn't surface for long enough to answer. He felt a cool, wet cloth touch his face and throat, and touches of healing power on his aching body.

"He'll want another pain block," said a calm, male voice.

He knew the voice from somewhere, but couldn't connect it with a name.

A sigh of relief broke from his lips as the worst of the pain faded away and he floated more comfortably, just beneath the surface of consciousness.

"Michio," said an old woman's voice, "Why do you think he insisted we do not inform the Gotei 13? Won't his family be worried?"

"I'm sure that they will, Noa," the healer replied, intensifying his healing power, "But even so, he seemed quite distressed and very insistent. He is likely in some kind of danger, should he be discovered."

"But Byakuya-san doesn't seem like one who would be in trouble with the authorities," objected Noa.

"I agree," said the healer, "I think, if he _is _in some kind of trouble, it isn't with the Gotei 13."

"But what manner of people would be a threat to him? He is powerful, Michio. But he represses that power..."

"It may not be the people so much, but the one he is protecting. He is with child."

"What? Are you sure?"

"I am very sure. That is why we must get this fever under control. It is not good for the baby."

The voices began to jumble together, then faded away as he felt his shivering slowly cease and he fell into a deep sleep. He wasn't sure how long he slept when he rose out of sleep some time later. The healer and his wife had gone and the woman who had pulled him out of the water had returned to his side. She sat with him quietly, and when he surfaced, gave him sips of hot tea and small mouthfuls of soup. She talked soothingly to him and encouraged him to rest. He sank down into sleep again and rested dreamlessly. The next time he woke, the girl was gone and Noa was at his side, applying another pain block.

"N-noa?" he said softly.

The old woman smiled at him.

"So, you decided to wake up," she observed, setting a tray bearing tea, vegetable soup and hot bread with fresh butter in his lap.

"How long have I been here?" he asked.

"Nearly a week, give or take a day. There were search parties in town, looking for you. That is why we moved you down into the basement room. You seemed very adamant about not being found. Byakuya-san, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Besides being with child, you mean?" he queried, looking down at his abdomen, "I am supposed to marry a noble woman from another family. They are not aware of the person I was already seeing. And I have not announced that I am with child…nor do I wish for anyone to know."

"Well, you needn't worry about that, Byakuya-san," Noa assured him, "We have not spoken of your being here. Besides us, only Hisana-chan knows. She has come every day to assist in your care."

"And she was the one who pulled me out of the river so that I did not drown," Byakuya acknowledged.

Noa nodded.

"And she single-handedly held off that fever of yours. She was very determined."

"I owe her my gratitude," Byakuya acknowledged.

The two broke off their conversation as the bedroom door opened and Hisana entered the room. She spotted Byakuya, awake and eating, and a relieved smile broke out on her face.

"Byakuya-san," she said, approaching the bed, "You look so much better today!"

"Arigato," he said, almost smiling, "I understand that I owe you my gratitude for tending to me during the worst of my illness."

"Oh," said Hisana, "It was no trouble, Byakuya-san. I wanted to help."

"Well," said Noa, "now that we have Byakuya-san on the mend, we need to begin thinking about where he will stay while he is in the Rukongai."

Byakuya looked down at his hands for a moment, giving the matter some thought.

"I do not wish to be found," he said finally, "The one who was pursuing me when I fell into the river will keep doing so if he senses me. He…is the father of this child and…I cannot let him know I am pregnant."

Noa nodded briefly.

"And you had nothing with you, so you will be forced to start out with nothing."

She thought for a moment, then excused herself from the room and left him alone with Hisana. The young woman sat down beside the bed and watched him quietly as he sipped at the tea Noa had left for him.

"Byakuya-san," she said, breaking the silence, "If you need a place to stay, where you will not be discovered, I think that I can help you. I know of a place near the river, a small, hidden cave that should be acceptable."

"Again, you have my thanks, Hisana," he said quietly.

The door opened and Michio and Noa joined the two in the bedroom. Noa stepped forward and set a small pack on the nightstand.

"This is for when you leave us," she told him, "It isn't much, but at least you will have a couple of sets of clothes and some basic necessities."

"Thank you, Noa-san," said Byakuya.

"Now," said Michio, "moving closer to him and looking him over briefly, "Your pregnancy is progressing well, but to maintain it, you will need to eat properly and to take care of yourself. You should really have someone stay with you, because male pregnancies are, by their nature, risky, and if you encounter sudden, severe symptoms, you will want someone close by to bring help."

"I will stay with Byakuya-san," said Hisana, drawing their eyes to her.

She looked up at Byakuya.

"We have a rule by which we live in the lower Rukongai," she went on, "And that is, if you meet someone who needs your help, then you must offer it. I found you and you need someone to assist you until your child is born, so I will stay with you."

Byakuya gave her a troubled look.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"I appreciate your offer, Hisana," he said, lowering his eyes, "but there is a chance that being near me could be dangerous. The one who was pursuing me is a very powerful man. I cannot even use my powers, because he would be able to sense it, and he might come here looking for me. In addition to that, the elders of my clan are also powerful…and it would disgrace my grandfather if I was found and my pregnancy was discovered. I cannot ask you to risk yourself that way."

Hisana smiled at him.

"Well, Michio has said that Byakuya-san should not be alone, and I assume that Byakuya-san does not know any others here to whom he might go…"

Byakuya sighed softly.

"There is someone to whom I can go, after the child is born, but while I carry the child and run the risk of being sensed, I will not go to him. He is in hiding and I wouldn't want to take the risk of leading my family to him."

"But if he knows you are here, then perhaps he could…"

"No," said Byakuya firmly, "If he began to make trips away from the town where he is concealing himself, he might run a greater risk of being found. I will seek his assistance when my child is born, but I will not endanger him by obligating him now."

He met Hisana's eyes and nodded briefly.

"Hisana has offered to assist me, for the time being, and I will gratefully accept her help. I owe her, in any case, for coming to my assistance, and for bringing me here. I must remain near her so that I can find a way to repay that debt."

"I think that is a fine idea," Noa said, smiling warmly, "Now that that is settled, Byakuya-san should rest."

Michio nodded in agreement.

"By tomorrow, you should be feeling well enough to be up and around," he said, "I will keep you here for a few days beyond that to make certain that you are fully recovered, then you and Hisana-chan can get settled in together. I will come to see you regularly. I think you will need to be seen once a week, because of the riskier nature of male pregnancies."

"Arigato, Michio," Byakuya said, as the healer and his wife took their leave of them.

He turned his attention back to the young woman who sat quietly beside the bed.

"Hisana," he said, looking up at her, "We have not had much time to get to know each other. And since we will be living together, I would like to know a little more about you. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"There isn't much to tell, really," Hisana said softly, "I used to be in the living world, but died and was sent here. And like everyone else in this place, I have struggled to make a living. Life is difficult in Inuzuri, Byakuya-san. If you have decided to stay here, then your circumstances must be dire."

"It will not be safe for me to return home until my child is born and…and I find a safe place for him or her."

"Have you given thought to who might be able to care for your child?"

Byakuya nodded.

"The one I spoke of before," he said quietly, "I have a younger cousin, who was forced to go into hiding in the mid-Rukongai. He is good with children, but because of his circumstances, he chose not to marry or have children…at least, not yet. I know he will care for my child conscientiously. He or she will be in capable hands"

"But first, you must bring your child safely into the world," said Hisana.

She sighed softly and closed her eyes.

"Babies are precious," she added, "And they have to be protected. And although I failed…"

She broke off and blinked several times, then stood.

"Hisana?" Byakuya said questioningly.

"You must excuse me Byakuya-san," the young woman said, standing, "I have some things to see to. I will be back."

"Of course," Byakuya said, watching curiously as Hisana departed the room.


	11. Missing Pieces

**Chapter 11: Missing Pieces**

Byakuya stirred uncomfortably as he slept, his abdomen throbbing intermittently and his reiatsu burning beneath the limiter that he wore to conceal his identity. His soft, discomfited moans nudged Hisana awake, and she placed her small hands on his face, searching for signs of fever. Finding none, she tried humming quietly as he slept. The sound seemed to soothe him, and he fell back into a deeper sleep. And in that more removed state, he began to hear a familiar, ominous voice.

_"Kuchiki Byakuya…"_

_He opened his eyes and inhaled sharply in surprise as he found himself in Aizen Sousuke's bedroom. He stood silently in the middle of the room, listening intently._

"_Kuchiki Byakuya…" the voice said again, "So, you are still alive?"_

"_Who are you?" he asked, looking around the room._

_He spotted something sitting on a desk, next to a bottle of sake and two waiting glasses. With hesitant steps, he approached it, peering ahead and trying to bring the object into focus. But even as he moved closer, whatever it was continued to confuse his eyes._

"_I know I've heard your voice before…"_

_He heard a soft, dismissive laugh._

"_Who am I, you ask?" the voice went on, "I am the one who is responsible for the turns your life has taken as of late, Byakuya. You do not remember, but I told you that I grant the desires of the ones around me, and I sensed your desires. You wanted to marry him, to have his child…and you were willing to die for him. My power altered your body, and you became pregnant, but oddly, you never told him you were with child. You just left him, and you left him wondering why…"_

"_Who are you? How did you make my pregnancy possible? And why? How do you know so much about what is going on?"_

"_So many questions, Byakuya. But the question you need answered is the question of what I intend to do, now that I know you are alive. The answer…is nothing, for now. As long as you stay away from Aizen Sousuke, you have nothing to fear from me. So, as you are playing dead, stay dead. Remember, you have a child to protect."_

"_What are you doing? Are you going to hurt Sousuke?"_

"_I would never hurt Aizen Sousuke. I am making certain that he achieves his full potential, but you were distracting him a little too well. Stay out of the way."_

"_Wait," Byakuya said, his eyes widening, "Does this have to do with the things that he could not talk about? Is it the reason why he couldn't marry me?"_

"_Focus, Byakuya. Focus on your baby. Because this is your last warning. If you pursue Aizen Sousuke, then you won't just feel that you would die for him…you will."_

Byakuya sat up suddenly, his stomach turning. He had a vague realization that Hisana wasn't in the cave, then he was crawling out and a short distance away. The feeling of illness overwhelmed him and he emptied his stomach, and rested for a few minutes, then forced himself to the nearby stream and drank a few mouthfuls of water. He sat by the stream, shivering in the chill air and wondering about the voice in his dream.

_I know I have heard that voice before. But was it real or was I just dreaming it? And who is this, who has the power to grant inner desires? Is this a shinigami? A zanpakutou? Is any of this even real? I just don't know. But that warning sounded real. And if this person is real, then what is it that they are doing that Sousuke could not tell me? I worry for him, but…_

A soft flutter of movement and a glimmer of reiatsu in the area of his abdomen stole him out of his thoughts.

"What is this?" he whispered, laying a hand over the area.

The growing reiatsu went quiet again for a few minutes, then flared softly again.

"Is this…?"

He went silent, his eyes wide and a very soft smile touching his lips as he registered the awakening of another consciousness. The feeling was faint and quiet, and the thoughts were curious and primal in nature, but even not having ever been with child before, he knew he had just connected with the cluster of life that he and Sousuke had made together. And for some reason he could not fathom, his mind spun back in time and he was suddenly very certain of what night the conception had taken place. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he was transported back to that night.

_"You look lovely, standing under the full moon like that, Byakuya," Aizen said, sliding his arms around Byakuya from behind and pulling back the hair on one side._

_He planted a soft kiss at the juncture of throat and shoulder, and slid a hand down to entangle it with his. All around them, sakura blossoms floated down from the nearby trees. Byakuya turned slightly, the bright moon reflecting in his eyes and lighting the sweet smile on his lips. Sousuke was the only one who could bring that smile to his lips and such contentment to his heart._

"_I was wondering if I would see you tonight," Byakuya said softly, "I know you are busy preparing to leave with your squad. I can't imagine how lonely I'll be for the next month while you are gone."_

"_Hmmm," the brown-eyed taichou purred against the skin of his throat, "Your own squad will be busy as well, preparing for the royal family's visit, ne? You'll hardly know I'm gone."_

"_I always notice when you're not here," Byakuya breathed, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the other man's mouth feeding gently on his pale flesh._

_He could feel Aizen's smile._

"_Then I must do my best to take your mind off my leaving. I'll give you something to reflect on that will keep your heart warm while I'm gone."_

_Aizen's lips left his throat and found his mouth, and his hands moved to loosen the flowing white yukata he wore. The front fell open, giving the moon a larger expanse of his pale skin to light, and the fine material shifted, revealing a glowing, white shoulder. Aizen's hands slipped beneath the yukata, sliding over the not yet revealed places and waking the strong flicker of desire in the noble's enchanting gray eyes._

"_What are you doing?" Byakuya said catching his breath as he was pushed back against one of the sakura trees, "Do you intend to take me out here? Now?"_

"_I love the way you look dressed in moonlight," the older shinigami said, pressing closer and busying his mouth with deep, penetrating kisses._

_Byakuya sank deeply into each kiss, his hands working slowly at the other man's clothes and quietly baring the wonderfully warm body beneath. As his clothing fell away, he laid his hot flesh against Byakuya's, sending shivers of anticipation through the younger man's body and making him moan very softly into his lover's mouth. Aizen's mouth pulled away for a moment and Byakuya loosed a regretful sigh. But he couldn't hold onto the regret as Aizen's hungry mouth traveled slowly down the front of his body, his lips touching, his tongue tasting and his fingers pleasuring every inch of lovely white skin he could reach. _

"_Are you sure you do not mean to torment me, doing this and then leaving me?" the noble panted heatedly, "I won't be able to concentrate. I'll be remembering this constantly…"_

_Aizen's mouth closed over his navel and the man's sinful tongue sank inside, as his fingers stroked the noble's sensitive inner thighs and coaxed them apart. Byakuya sucked in a fevered breath, his legs quivering as Aizen's lips kissed their way down from his navel, following the line of fine, black hairs until he reached the hard, flushed member at the base. Byakuya groaned as the man's lips brushed very lightly against the leaking head, taking the smallest taste of him, then kissed their way down the long shaft and with agonizing slowness, pleasured the soft sac. The younger man's hips pushed forward wantonly as Aizen's tongue found his entrance, then traced the ring around it and pushed inside him, caressing and probing until Byakuya could no longer control the pleased sounds he was making._

"_Sousuke!" he moaned breathlessly, sinking his fingers into the man's soft, brown hair and feeling near madness at just how good it felt to touch him, "I want you inside me…"_

_He would never have imagined himself pleading for anything, but he always did so shamelessly when they were together._

"_Please, Sousuke…you are…"_

"_All in good time," the older man whispered, running a line of kisses back up to the head of his aching erection and sending a sweet jolt through him._

"_And you say I tease…"_

_He lost his breath as wet fingers thrust into him and Aizen's mouth wrapped around his damp arousal, abandoning his leisurely approach and sliding his mouth up and down the noble's length. Byakuya pressed his back harder against the sakura tree, enjoying the tiny shards of pain it caused as he pushed his hips forward, tightening his hands in the other man's hair and releasing his breaths in hard, hissing moans of intense need. Aizen's glinting brown eyes looked upward, feeding on the play of emotion and arousal over the younger man's moonlit face. He brought his lover to the brink of completion then wickedly held him there, hardened fingers tightening at the base of his cock and holding him suspended on the edges of bliss until he felt himself sliding into madness. He released his lover's name in a deep, feral growl and heard Aizen laugh softly as the noble's clenching fingers scraped against his skin, trying to gain purchase, to pull him upward, to end the maddening game and bring their two bodies together. He continued the sweet torment until Byakuya's legs threatened to collapse beneath him and the lovely white lips promised him death if he continued to tease. He ran his tongue a final time from base to tip of the younger man's length, then lifted himself and rose to his full height._

_He returned to Byakuya's mouth, thrusting inside and sharing the exotic tastes of his explorations. His hand slid down the noble's side, then over a slender, naked hip and buttock, and down his thigh, before taking hold and wrapping a graceful, white leg around his waist and bringing the head of his very aroused member into position at the noble's wet entrance. He pushed inside the younger man's body in a few, short, hard thrusts as Byakuya's hands took hold of the lower branches of the sakura tree, and his other leg joined the first, wrapped around his lover._

_Aizen's mouth remained tightly fastened on his, devouring the noble's sounds of pleasure as they thrust against each other. Byakuya's hands gripped the branches hard and he tightened his legs around Aizen's torso, his moans rising into hard cries, then into gasping screams as their pleasure peaked. Hot seed pulsed out and splashed onto their writhing bodies, and Byakuya screamed again as Aizen's seething release filled him inside, chasing away the chill in the air around them and leaving him shaking and unable to stand. His legs slid down and his feet touched the ground, but both gave way and his hands released the branches he had been holding onto so tightly. He started to fall, but was gently caught and brought down to rest on Aizen's abandoned clothes._

_Byakuya turned into his lover's arms and dropped his head onto Aizen's sweat dampened shoulder, taking a deep breath filled with sakura and the scents of their lovemaking. He loosed a moaning sigh and went still, one hand stealing up Aizen's resting form, following the curves and lines on the soft flesh as he caught his breath and turned his eyes again to the full moon._

"_I love you," the noble whispered, "Don't ever leave me…because I think that if you did, I really would die, Sousuke."_

"_I won't leave you," Aizen promised, feeding him warm, slow kisses, "I will always love you, Byakuya…"_

He felt awful, surrendering so easily to tears, but afflicted with hormones and still in the flush of first contact with their growing child, he couldn't stop the tears. And he couldn't make sense of why he had ended up so afraid that his lover would hurt their child.

_Nothing makes sense, _he thought as the tears ran down his face, _I don't remember what we argued about or why I became so afraid. I want to go back to him, but I feel the danger to our child and I can't make myself go back. Why, Sousuke? What happened that I became so afraid of you?_

He had a flash memory of being held in his lover's arms and catching sight of Aizen's zanpakutou in his hand…of a maddened flight through the forest and standing at the top of a waterfall. He saw again, Aizen standing a short distance away from him, his zanpakutou lifted tip-down and his own panicked release of kido that thew him over the falls.

_But why did you attack me? Does it have to do with that voice I heard in my dreams? Who is this one who claims to give people their desires? I was given this child…and yes, I did desire it, but not in this way! Not in this horrid way! I didn't want to be separated from him…to have to fear him finding me. That was no desire of mine. It seems this one…that voice I heard…it does feed desire, but it has its own desires too. And I don't think it feeds all desires, just the ones that further its own wants. It granted my desires as a way of attacking me…and forcing me out of Sousuke's life. But who or what could this be…that was so threatened by our love that it would do this?_

"Byakuya-san!" said Hisana's voice, "Byakuya-san, are you all right? You look as white as a ghost!"

Her hands touched him and he felt numbness steal over him. He knew she was still speaking to him, but couldn't register the words. He felt himself fall onto the soft, cold grass at the edge of the stream and heard the outright fear in Hisana's voice. But even her voice faded into stillness and he was left in complete darkness. He hated that cold, isolated feeling and his mind screamed his lover's name. He screamed it repeatedly into the darkness until something sent him spinning into sleep.

He woke, hours later, in a bed at the healer's home, with Hisana at his side, holding his hand in hers and crying softly.

"I thought you had died, Byakuya-san," she whispered.

"It is all right now," Michio assured her, leaning over the noble and touching a hand to his midsection, "This pregnancy is just very difficult for his body to handle. I think he is going to have to remain here until the baby comes. Their reiatsu could destabilize again, and if it does, it needs to be treated quickly."

"Are you sure it was not something I did?" Hisana asked in a trembling voice, "I followed all of your instructions…"

"I'm sure that you did," the healer said, resting a hand on her shoulder, "This is not your fault. Male pregnancies are rare, and most do not reach full term. If he was not so adamant about keeping his location a secret, I would have him transferred back to the Seireitei, but…"

He shook his head briefly.

"Well, best not to dwell on it."

Their conversation stopped as the door opened.

"He's here," said Noa's voice.

Byakuya heard a light footstep and felt a warm, masculine hand slide into his. He opened his eyes and found himself looking into dark blue eyes and a gentle, youthful face.

"Tetsuya…" he whispered, "Why did you come here? It isn't safe."

"That's why I came," the younger man said quietly, "After all, if I was able to sense you, then whoever you are hiding from may sense you too. I came to take you back with me. My home is shielded enough to keep you from being sensed…and I can bring Michio in to examine you every week."

"No…"

"Byakuya-sama, you cannot stay here any longer. You will be found. You know I'm right."

Byakuya hesitated, staring up into his cousin's guileless face and fearing what could happen to him. But he had another life inside him to protect…

"Yes," he said finally, "you are right. I will go with you."

He paused and glanced at Hisana.

"And she will come as well."

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke sat up in his bed, the dream he had had still spinning in his mind. He saw again the vision of Byakuya collapsed next to a small stream, clutching his midsection and slowly losing consciousness. He didn't know why he continued to have odd dreams like that. He wondered if it might be a guilty mind…a penitent heart, but in the months following his lover's disappearance, he thought he had made peace with losing Byakuya.

He sat up, blinking and looking around. A hand strayed to his chest over his heart as an odd feeling of connection passed through him. And for one breathtaking moment, he felt Byakuya's mind touch his. He came to his feet, closing his eyes and trying to strengthen the connection. But whatever he had felt faded quickly.

"But," he mused, "even if you are alive, you won't return to me. Still…"

He sighed softly in resignation, returning to his bed and settling again. He drifted off to sleep and was pleased this time to be gifted with a more pleasant dream…a memory really, of stealing up behind Byakuya as he stood, gazing up at the full moon, then plundering the younger man's lovely, moonlit body beneath that sweet night sky as a soft rain of sakura petals fell all around them…


	12. Misunderstood

**Chapter 12: Misunderstood**

"Sir," said the fourth seat to Gin," I have a message for Aizen taichou. He said that…"

"Aizen taichou is busy," said Gin, "Give the message to me and I will see that he gets it."

"B-but Aizen taichou said that…"

"Just give me the message," Gin said brusquely, "He's much too busy to trifle with you today."

"Well…sir, I have heard from our group in the Rukon that…"

"Why are you here?" asked Aizen from the doorway, "Is there news about Byakuya?"

"Well, we did not yet locate him, but he was in Inuzuri yesterday. His reiatsu was sensed several times…and a few residents reported that he was seen being taken to the town healer. We are watching the healer's house. We haven't seen him or sensed him again, but if he leaves from there, we will know."

"Thank you," said Aizen quietly, "Go back and continue to monitor his movements. I will be there to join you soon."

He watched the officer leave, then sat down at his desk and began to work silently. Gin gazed at him for several minutes as he worked, then couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Gomen nasai, Aizen taichou," he said, earning a warning glance from Aizen, "But I thought that you had given up on finding Byakuya-san. I know that he was special to you, but I did not know that you were still so…"

"He left without explaining," Aizen said simply, "I search for him to understand why he left…nothing more."

"Is that so?" said Gin meaningfully, "Because as much as you might think so, it is not what your actions say. And your eyes. Whenever his name is mentioned, you react very strongly. And I am wondering if you are seeking him because you still love him or if you are seeking him for revenge."

Aizen gave a soft, sarcastic laugh.

"Are you offering to help me punish him if I want revenge?" the fifth division taichou asked quietly, "Well, don't bother. Whatever my business with Kuchiki Byakuya, it does not concern you. I will handle it on my own."

"Hmmm," said Gin, looking down at the papers in front of him, "If you had handled it properly before, he wouldn't be such a bother to you now. That you didn't, suggests that you might not be in such control as you think you are."

"Nonsense," said Aizen, setting his papers aside and rising, "I am always in perfect control. You know that."

He didn't wait for an answer, but flash stepped out the office door, closing it behind him and invoking his powers so that Gin could not follow. He walked silently through the streets of the Seireitei, down to the gates that led into the Rukongai. He turned towards the lower Rukongai, his head bent and his mind working solemnly on the mystery.

_He may have been hurt, but to be gone so long…and to remain in Inuzuri. I understand that he might not want to be sensed, but…that place is so dreary, and it is certainly not an environment in which he would heal properly. I don't understand why. Why would he go there? Why would he remain there?_

He rose out of his thoughts as he reached the town of Inuzuri. As he walked through the streets in the direction of the town healer's home, his eyes touched briefly on the sad, ragged people who rested in the shade, the thin, wiry children, who roamed the streets in groups, searching for unwary vendors to distract and rob, and the overall air of lost hope that seemed to hang everywhere.

_My Byakuya…in a place like this…injured and alone?_

_Why?_

_Why would he choose that?_

_Is he really that afraid of me?_

He spotted his spies and approached them, where they were watching the healer's home. The men recognized him and greeted him.

"Aizen taichou, he is inside. It seems that he is preparing to leave. I think that he has been warned he was sensed."

The door of the healer's home opened and Aizen froze as a young man, noble…Kuchiki, by the look of him, helped a cloaked and hooded man out of the healer's house and onto the back of a tall, black stallion. His eyes widened and he frowned as a peasant woman followed them and the other noble lifted her up and set her in front of the hooded man.

He moved forward, using his zanpakutou to make himself invisible to them as he approached him. The woman said something too softly for him to hear, but the answer, issued in Byakuya's voice left him stunned.

"It is only until the baby comes. After that, we can return to Kuchiki Manor."

_What?_

_Did he say that…that woman he is with is having his baby?_

_Is that why he stayed in Inuzuri?_

He turned to follow as the other noble climbed up behind Byakuya, but to his surprise, the stallion broke into flash steps and beast and reiatsu disappeared almost instantly.

"Don't worry, Aizen taichou," said the spy standing next to him, "We will find them."

"No," said Aizen, carefully reining in the hot flare of anger that swelled around him, "Let them go. I have no further interest in following him."

He stood for several minutes longer, staring silently in the direction the three had gone, then left in a flash step so swift that it left the ground scorched.

XXXXXXXXXX

Arashi slowed as he reached the entrance to a small, concealed valley, deep within the forest in the mid-Rukongai. Byakuya felt a surge of relief at sensing the defensive shielding around the area.

"You see," Tetsuya said, looking around the valley, "We are safe here. Safe and well provisioned. My home is straight ahead and to the left, overlooking the meadows. If anything enters the valley, I know it."

Byakuya scanned the area with an appreciative eye, taking in the warmth, the scent of flowers, grass and trees, the sound of rushing water and the overall peace of their surroundings.

"It is lovely, Cousin," Byakuya said to Tetsuya, "and Hisana and I appreciate you putting yourself at risk and taking us in."

"I assure you, you are safe here, Byakuya-sama."

"I am grateful."

Tetsuya slid down onto the ground and helped Hisana down. Byakuya climbed off the tall spirit steed and joined them by the lake at the bottom of the hill. Arashi glanced at Tetsuya, who gave him a slight nod, then he walked to the lake and lowered his graceful head to drink. Byakuya turned to Hisana.

"I am sorry that I did not give you more of an introduction to my cousin before. This is Kuchiki Tetsuya. His father was my father's first cousin."

"I am pleased to meet you, Hisana-chan," Tetsuya said, smiling, "I am grateful to you for caring for my cousin."

"And I am thankful to you for taking us in, Tetsuya-san," said Hisana, "But if it's not rude to ask, why does Tetsuya-san have to hide from his own family?"

Byakuya and Tetsuya exchanged a solemn glance,

"Tetsuya was born at a time when it was considered a great wrong for a noble to marry a commoner. His father married a woman from the mid-Rukongai and concealed the marriage from the clan. Their secret was exposed and they were sent to the half-breeds' prison around the time when Tetsuya was born. My grandfather and I fought to have the laws changed and the prison closed. We liberated the prisoners when Tetsuya was seven years old. The half-breeds were released, but were forced to become slaves within the family. Tetsuya's parents were killed while imprisoned, and his next of kin was a full-blood family member, who despised Tetsuya and would have harmed him. As the heir to clan leadership, I claimed him instead and he became my personal attendant. But his guardian, Orochi, was furious that I did so. He waited until I left for a mission, then came to the manor and attacked Tetsuya, nearly killing him. I went before the elders and demanded punishment for Orochi, but he was punished only lightly and freed. I was certain that he would come after my cousin again, and so I arranged for him to come and live here."

"That's so awful!" exclaimed Hisana, "It's hard to believe your own family would be so cruel to you, Tetsuya-san."

"Well," said the blue-eyed noble, "Luckily, the laws regarding half-breeds have changed in our favor, but even so, Orochi-san still bears ill will towards me and Byakuya-sama feels it best for me to remain in hiding."

He turned his head to look at a small cabin that was hidden amongst the trees on the hillside.

"And my life here is quite peaceful," the noble went on.

"I hope Tetsuya-san is not lonely," said Hisana, smiling shyly.

"Actually," said Tetsuya, seeking Byakuya's eyes, "I am not without company here. I hadn't had the chance to tell you, Byakuya-sama, but I met someone I would like to introduce to you."

Tetsuya led them up the hill to the cabin. As they approached it, the door opened, and a brown-haired shinigami with gentle brown eyes and a baby in his arms, stepped outside to greet them.

"Tetsuya," he said, sounding relieved, "I am glad you are back."

Byakuya stared at the baby boy with hair like the young man's and lovely blue eyes like Tetsuya's.

"This is Haru," he said, indicating the young man, "and that is our son, Naoki."

"Your…son?" breathed Byakuya, studying the boy closely, "Tetsuya…"

"Haru is from the Fukamori clan, a clan with more relaxed rules about the mixing of noble and non-noble bloodlines. And that family also has traces of royal blood, so some males within the family are able to bear children. Haru is one of these."

"Then…you two are…"

"Happily married for nearly two years," said Tetsuya, smiling proudly, "I wanted to tell you, but things were not safe."  
>Byakuya nodded.<p>

"I understand," he said, moving forward and meeting Haru's eyes warmly.

"Would you like to hold him, Kuchiki-sama?" asked Haru.

Byakuya froze as Tetsuya's spouse set the baby in his arms. He caught his breath softly as the infant gazed up at him and reached out to touch his face, cooing happily.

"He has lovely notes of both of his parents," said Byakuya.

He noticed then, the odd, troubled look in Hisana's eyes and handed the baby back to Haru. Tetsuya led them into the house and took Naoki from Haru, then chatted with Byakuya as the noble and Hisana settled into their room and Haru made tea and dinner.

"I am sorry there is only one bed for the two of you. I was alone when I came here. I had no idea that I would be starting a family."

"That is all right," Byakuya assured him, "Hisana and I are accustomed to sleeping next to each other. Beds of any sort are a luxury in Inuzuri."

"I imagine," Tetsuya replied, his hand straying down to tickle Naoki's cheek, "What I do not understand is why you were there, Cousin. Word is all over the Seireitei that you are missing. There have been numerous search parties all over the Rukongai and rewards set for information. I have contained myself until now, but you must tell me. What happened? How is it that you are in hiding? And with child?"

Byakuya sighed.

"It is a long story. It can wait. Suffice it to say that I let my defenses down with a dangerous person, and I cannot allow him to know that I am with child. Tetsuya, even once I have this baby, he or she cannot return to the Seireitei with me. I need to have a safe place for my child to grow up."

"Look no farther," said Tetsuya without hesitation, "Your child is welcome here."

Byakuya tilted his head in askance.

"You do not even ask your mate?" he queried, "Perhaps Haru would not like being troubled with an extra child."

Tetsuya chuckled softly.

"Byakuya-sama," he said warmly, "Both Haru and I know that I would not have survived and come here…and met him, if not for all that you did for me. Your child has a place here…and this way, you can come to see him or her any time you wish. "

"Arigato, Tetsuya," Byakuya said gratefully, "But although I will visit, I must have your word that my child will not be told I am his or her father. Better the child believe that he or she was an orphan, adopted from the lower Rukongai. I am afraid that my choices have made this necessary."

"I see," said the blue-eyed noble, his eyes betraying a sad shine, "Byakuya-sama, I am sorry. I remember how often you told me that you longed for a love as deep as that of your parents. Whoever hurt you is a fool. I know he will regret it."

"Our love ran deep," admitted Byakuya, lowering his eyes, "but deep passion causes deep resentment, when it goes wrong, Tetsuya."

Tetsuya's eyes reflected the sadness on Byakuya's.

"You still love him," the blue-eyed noble said softly.

Byakuya fell silent, answering his cousin's question without saying a word. Tetsuya shook his head in sympathy.

"Again, I am sorry, Cousin," he said, touching the clan leader's hand lightly, "Please, make yourselves at home here. You shall have peace and calm for the duration of your pregnancy. I know you have to leave your child behind and go back, but for while you are my guest, let it be a time of comfort."

"Arigato, Tetsuya," Byakuya said solemnly.

Tetsuya nodded briefly, then left the two alone to finish settling in. Hisana sat down on the bed, looking out the window. Byakuya reflected quietly for a moment on the expression she had worn while close to Naoki.

_Almost as though she was in pain…_

"Hisana," he said quietly, "May I ask you a question?"

The young woman looked wary, but nodded.

"Why is it that you looked so…sad…when we met Naoki? I have noticed that the mere mention of babies seems to upset you. I will understand if you would rather not say…"

Hisana's face fell and her hands trembled softly where she clasped them together.

"Gomen nasai," she whispered, "I didn't mean to…be so obvious. But…you see, when I died in the living world and was sent here, I died along with my infant sister. We were…sent to Inuzuri. Life there was…as you know, so very difficult."

She stopped for a moment, placing a hand over her heart and clearing her throat before she went on.

"I was not able to care for us both…so…even though she was only a helpless baby, I…I…"

She broke off, tears leaking onto her face.

"I abandoned her to save myself."

She bit her lips and looked harder out the window.

"I knew it was wrong," she sobbed softly, "and I regretted it immediately, but it was done…and I could not find her afterward. I have looked for her every day since. But I have not been able to find her. Yet, I must keep trying. I must."

She looked down at her hands and then back up at the noble, but found only honest sympathy in his dark gray eyes.

"You must think so lowly of me…"

"Hisana," he said quietly, "We all make mistakes…even when our hearts seem to be in the right place…we make awful mistakes."

He sat down next to her and slipped his arms around her, bringing her head down onto his shoulder.

"I will not condemn you…because I am no better. My sins may be different than yours, but my heart also aches with regret…and I cannot undo what I have done…no matter how I wish things were different."

"Then we will be good friends to each other," Hisana said, squeezing his hand gently, "And we will help each other to bear the pain as it comes."

"Yes..." Byakuya whispered, "I think we both need that."

_Sousuke...Sousuke, my heart cries to be with you..._

_Was my mistake loving you?_

_Or was it leaving you?_

_Sousuke..._


	13. Storm

**Chapter 13: Storm**

Gin stepped into the fifth division taichou's quarters and set down the tea tray he was carrying. His eyes scanned the darkened room and found Aizen's silhouette just outside the garden doors. His eyes, as usual, were focused on the night sky, where he searched for the full moon, wherever the dark clouds parted to offer him sweet, teasing glimpses. Thunder rumbled softly as Gin approached him.

"Are you coming inside?" the silver-haired shinigami asked quietly.

Aizen thought for a moment, then lightly brushed his fingers against the hilt of his zanpakutou and sent an illusion back into the room with Gin. He watched the pale hand slip into that of his illusion self, then how they paused at the bedside and exchanged a kiss of greeting. They climbed onto the bed and Gin opened their yukatas and smilingly began to explore him. He continued to watch in silence as Gin worked his way downward, then wrapped his mouth around the illusion's hardness, his white face serene as he sucked contentedly.

He considered going back inside and joining Gin, but he was all too aware of what would happen. It happened every time he was with Gin. He had thought, at first, that it was Kyouka Suigetsu, either evincing his feelings about the breakup with Byakuya or just playing an odd game of toying with him, while secretly protecting his heart from actually forming any real feelings for Gin.

_The only face I ever see is Byakuya's…the only scent, sakura. I can feel that it is his skin I touch, his heart I feel beating under my hands. As much as I try to forget him, he is always there. And as much as I try to hate him, I also want him back. I want to hurt him because he left me and moved on so quickly, but I always stop short of taking the first step towards doing that. I know once I touched him, I would crumble. He has become my obsession…one I never should have indulged in…one it seems that I will never escape. Even now, sometimes I feel his thoughts…I register his pain. I feel that pain now. He is hurting badly. It should make me happy, but I only feel empty._

He tried to focus on the sounds of pleasure coming from his room, but all he could hear was Byakuya's pain. Lightning flashed and brought with it images of a storm darkened forest, a hooded figure astride a black horse that charged through the storm almost recklessly, then a falling tree that sent the two crashing to the ground. The downed horse groaned, but remained on the ground. The hooded figure staggered to his feet, holding his midsection, then dropped to his knees, crying out in distress.

He heard the sound rise up in his mind as the rain began to fall, a hard, desperate cry that echoed among the forest trees around Byakuya. He sensed that the noble was alone and caught in the storm. It seemed oddly out of character for one with such a fast flash step and so much power to be frightened of such a thing. But he sensed a vulnerability in his former lover, some kind of weakness that held him back. And now, he knelt on the ground, with the rain coming down all around him and his cries of pain mixing with the sounds of wind, falling rain and thunder.

Aizen tried to force the vision out of his head, to turn back into the room and join Gin, where he and the Aizen illusion laid sated and sprawled languidly across the bed. But everything else left him when he heard Byakuya scream.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke to the sound of soft, approaching thunder. He lifted his head and looked around the garden where he had fallen asleep under a sakura tree, noting that late afternoon had come and Hisana had not yet returned from Inuzuri.

_Something told me I should have gone with her. If only it wasn't so late in my pregnancy. I can't depend on my powers…and my flash step is much slower, when it even works._

He placed a hand on his swollen belly, and rose carefully, feeling grateful that the reiatsu cluster was smaller than the physical body of a baby would have been. He paused as twinges of pain registered in his abdomen and back.

"Are you all right, Byakuya-sama?" asked Haru, stepping out of the cabin and into the gardens, still favoring the ankle he had injured the day before.

Byakuya took nodded briefly and took slow, steadying breaths as Tetsuya's spouse reached him and helped him back inside the cabin. He sat down on the sofa, and Haru sat down on an ottoman in front of him, placing his hands gently on the noble's abdomen and letting his reiatsu flow into the area.

"Just a little imbalance," Haru assured him, "Nothing to be worried about. It should settle. But you are close to delivering. As soon as the storm has passed, I think we'll have to move you to the doctor's home in Inuzuri."

"Where is Tetsuya?" Byakuya asked, looking around.

"He went to look for Hisana when she did not come back. He would have told you he was leaving, but he didn't want to wake you. He knows how uncomfortable you have been these last few weeks. It's hard for you to get enough sleep."

"How long ago did he leave?"

"A few hours ago," Haru answered, "but they should be back soon. He took Arashi with him."

They looked out the window, at the darkening sky as lightning flashed and thunder sounded loudly after.

"That storm is getting close," Haru said, "I'll go and bring Naoki in here. He gets frightened during storms."

"Like Tetsuya used to," Byakuya remembered, a smile touching his lips.

"I'll just be a few minutes while I change him. Rest here, Byakuya-sama."

Byakuya watched as Haru left, then turned his eyes back to the window as thunder sounded again and he heard Naoki start to cry. Rain began to strike the ground outside and thunder boomed louder. Naoki gave a frightened squeal and cried harder. Byakuya saw something dark racing across the meadow and starting up the hill. He rose and went to the door, catching sight of a riderless Arashi, who slid to a stop and neighed loudly as he reached Byakuya.

Byakuya grabbed his hooded cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders, then moved forward and patted the stallion, freezing in place as Arashi's dark eyes met his and several visual images flashed in his mind. He first saw an image of Tetsuya riding Arashi and coming upon Hisana, where she had fallen and been trapped when part of the trail had given way under her. The next showed Tetsuya climbing down to her, and the ground giving way beneath him. The final image was of the two pressed close to each other under a kido shield Tetsuya had placed to protect them.

_Haru would be the better choice to go after them, if not for that injured ankle, but there's no choice. I'm the only one left to help…_

He climbed onto Arashi's back and nudged the stallion into a gallop. They raced back out of the valley and onto the forest trail that led towards Inuzuri. The rain came down harder, forcing Arashi to slow and proceed more carefully. Byakuya pulled his cloak more tightly around him as the wind buffeted them and lightning cracked across the sky, with heavy, booming thunder on its heels. The stallion slowed again and carefully picked his way around a collapsed bit of the trail, then continued on. Darkness had come and it was difficult to see, so Byakuya used what little power he could summon to raise a small, flickering kido light to see by. Arashi made a low sound of approval and moved forward carefully. Although he couldn't see to be sure, Byakuya sensed that they were near the end of the trees, after which there was another small town, then the trail where Hisana and Tetsuya were trapped. Arashi seemed to realize it as well and quickened his pace.

Another bolt of lightning shot across the sky and the thunder sounded almost on top of it. Byakuya heard a cracking noise above them and caught his breath as a huge, thick limb fell towards them. Arashi flash stepped and nearly made it clear, but the falling branch struck him a glancing blow, throwing him off balance and sending horse, rider and the heavy limb tumbling off into the trees.

Byakuya didn't know by what miracle he managed to both fall somewhat correctly and miss being crushed by both Arashi and the tree limb, but he rolled to a stop and immediately turned and crawled towards Arashi. The stallion lay, partially covered in mud that had come down with them, groaning and panting, one delicate hoof caught in the twisted remains of the fallen branch. He spoke soothingly to the trapped beast, knowing that if Arashi began to struggle, he would be likely to break a leg…if one wasn't broken already.

He was grateful for the fact that the stallion was wise enough to hold still as Byakuya quietly examined him.

"I don't think anything is broken," he told Arashi, "but I'll need you to hold very still while I free you."

He managed a small sedative kido that reduced Arashi's consciousness enough so that he relaxed and did not move or make a sound as the noble carefully extracted his hoof. He rested where he was, with Byakuya leaned against him, the noble's cloak arranged to keep the rain and wind off of his face until finally he seemed to regain full awareness and climbed slowly to his feet. The stallion took a few limping steps and tried to climb back up to the trail, but slipped back down on the loose mud.

Byakuya started to climb to his feet, but stopped and dropped to his knees as a sharp pain flashed across his abdomen. He gasped and tried to breathe through the pain as Haru had instructed him to, but even as the first pain left him, a fresh jolt struck him, tearing a ragged cry of pain from his throat. Arashi nudged him gently with a wet nose and peeked at him through the long strands of his forelock. He knelt next to the noble and Byakuya tried to climb onto his back, but dropped back to his knees again, unable to manage it.

"It's no use," he panted softly, "I will have to stay here. Arashi, you have to find help for Tetsuya and Hisana. I don't know if they might be hurt."

The stallion stood and lowered his head, nudging Byakuya towards a cluster of bushes. Byakuya dragged himself to his feet and leaned against Arashi as they walked together to the bushes. He dropped down next to them and watched in surprise as the stallion knelt next to him, so that the bushes provided some cover from the rain and Arashi's body provided some warmth.

"Arigato," he whispered, petting the horse's wet neck, "I should make you go…but I…"

He broke off as another pain gripped him and his midsection began to glow with soft, white light.

"Oh…not now," he whispered, "Not like this."

He breathed through the pain and tried to think calm thoughts, but the pain intensified and he began to get the sense that something was wrong. The pains continued to grow stronger and a feeling like fire burned inside him. He could feel that his skin was hot, despite the cool rain that still fell around them. He shivered and groaned as fresh pains struck, then cried out as the fire inside him burned hotter and power flared up out of his midsection.

_Our reiatsu has become unstable, but…I can't…oh no…_

Dizziness swept over him and sent his mind into oblivion. He maintained some awareness that he was lying on the wet ground, in the rain, next to Arashi and that the stallion was nudging him again, showing the whites of his eyes and looking as though something was very wrong.

Byakuya turned his head and registered a dark shape closing in on them. Arashi surged to his feet and attacked, striking what appeared to be a hollow and driving it back.

_It must have been attracted by my reiatsu flaring like that…_

He crawled onto his hands and knees as stallion and hollow exchanged strikes in a flurry of hooves and claws, then flashes of cero and kido.

"A-arashi!" Byakuya cried, trying to summon a kido blast and failing.

The two dark forms shot towards each other and collided, and Arashi screamed and loosed a final blast of kido. The hollow fell back as the stallion reared and struck repeatedly with his hooves, until the creature's body collapsed and slowly dissolved into nothing. Arashi turned back towards Byakuya, walking slowly, on quivering legs and dropped to the ground just short of him.

"Arashi!" the noble gasped, crawling to him.

He fell against the exhausted horse, relieved that his injuries did not appear to be life threatening. Arashi groaned discontentedly, but settled and rested quietly as Byakuya leaned against him and returned his attention to his softly glowing belly.

"I don't suppose you would consider waiting until we are safe, ne?"

He panted his way through the next set of pains, then sank down next to Arashi again. His eyes closed and he drifted in and out of consciousness as the pains came and went, increasing in intensity until he was sure he was going to break apart. He could hear himself groaning and gasping his way through them, and felt Arashi nudge him and lick his face.

His reiatsu burned too hotly now, searing him inside and dragging ragged cries from him. His mind fell away and he seemed to disappear into the pain. Everything went cold and black around him and he was sure now that something had gone horribly wrong. He threw everything into a last, distressed scream of pain, then lost consciousness completely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke flash stepped hastily through the rain, his kido lighting the way as he followed the now bright flares of Byakuya's out of control reiatsu. It seemed ominous that, even though the reiatsu continued to spike and flare, Byakuya's voice had left his mind entirely.

_He must have lost consciousness…_

He didn't even try to tell himself that he didn't care. Whatever Byakuya had done, they had still been lovers. And he had to admit that despite the fact that he was still furious at the noble for getting that peasant woman pregnant, there was time enough for anger after Byakuya was safe. And perhaps now, they would be able to talk. He didn't know what good it would do with another lover's baby coming into the picture, but as long as they were both still alive, there had to be some amount of hope. For the moment, he shoved everything else aside and just flash stepped madly in Byakuya's direction.

He slowed as he came to a collapsed portion of the trail. He looked around, wondering if it was near Byakuya, then stiffened as a pealing neigh sounded nearby. He turned in the direction of the sound and spotted the black horse he had seen in his vision. The beast struggled to his feet as Aizen flash stepped down the incline and slid to a stop, staring.

Byakuya lay on his back on the ground, his eyes closed and his chest heaving. As he moved closer, the swelling in his softly glowing abdomen became obvious.

"_She _wasn't pregnant," Aizen breathed, "_He_ is…"

And he knew better than to think that the baby Byakuya was carrying was anyone's other than his. Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place, the noble's sudden departure, and how he had tried to end their relationship, but some connective piece was still missing…something that would explain why Byakuya would fear him finding out about their child. It didn't seem enough that Byakuya knew he had not wanted to have a child at the time. He knew the noble well. Byakuya would have said something, even if he knew it would cause an argument. Something else had to have happened. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was protecting what they had made together.

He dropped onto his knees next to Byakuya and raised protective shielding around them, then stripped away his wet clothes and wrapped him in an extra cloak he had carried beneath his own. He placed his hands on the noble's swollen abdomen and sensed the reiatsu imbalance that seemed to be affecting him. Power flared around his hands and flowed into Byakuya's body, wrapping warmly around his and slowly stabilizing it. He wanted to stave off the delivery and take the noble to the Seireitei for healing, but when he tried to move Byakuya, he woke and cried out in pain.

"It's too late," he panted raggedly, not recognizing the man who leaned over him, "I cannot be moved now. Help me…you have to help me have this baby!"

Aizen let out a soft breath and shifted so that the glow coming off of Byakuya's abdomen lit his face.

The noble's eyes went wide with recognition.

"N-no…" he whispered feverishly, "D-don't!"

"What? What are you saying, Byakuya?"

Byakuya's body shivered beneath his hands.

"Y-you…" he panted harshly, trying to pull away, "Y-you're going to…k-kill us, aren't you?"


	14. Night Rain

**Chapter 14: Night Rain**

**(Thanks to Iloveaizenandbyakuya and Pineapple55! *winks* I couldn't let poor Bya and Sousuke be separated on such an important day for them! There's still a ways to go, but they will have these tender moments to see them through.)**

_Aizen let out a soft breath and shifted so that the glow coming off of Byakuya's abdomen lit his face._

_The noble's eyes went wide with recognition._

_"N-no…" he whispered feverishly, "D-don't!"_

_"What? What are you saying, Byakuya?"_

_Byakuya's body shivered beneath his hands._

_"Y-you…" he panted harshly, trying to pull away, "Y-you're going to…k-kill us, aren't you?"_

"Byakuya," Aizen said, wrapping an arm around the noble's quivering shoulders, "Why would you think that? I may have been angry when I thought that you did all of this to conceal that woman having your baby, but you…you are having _our _baby, watashi no koi! I know you are. Why would you think that I would hurt my own lover and our baby?"

Byakuya blinked in confusion, his chest still heaving, and pains still assaulting his abdominal region.

"You…attacked me!" he panted, "At…at the waterfall. That's why I…I fell!"

Aizen shook his head gently and brushed his face lightly against the noble's and he smiled as he felt Byakuya sigh and lean closer.

"I tried to explain to you, Byakuya. You were leaving me. I accepted that. But there was information that I could not leave you with, for my safety and for yours. But when I used my zanpakutou to remove those pieces, you thought I was attacking you. I assure you, I wasn't. And I will not attack you now. Relax now, you're in labor. You need to calm yourself so that you can focus on having our baby."

"B-but, you didn't want to…have a child, Sousuke," Byakuya objected, unable to resist the invitation to fold himself into his former lover's arms, "And I didn't feel right obligating you. And you made it sound as though having a child was somehow dangerous. I don't know. I found out that day…the day that I found out about…my engagement to Eri. I collapsed on the way home and Unohana taichou told me that it was because I was pregnant."

"Did you tell her whose it was?" Aizen asked softly.

"No. I thought that it could be bad for you in some way if I did. I thought about going back to you, but…you had just been very firm in saying that we would not be married or have children together, maybe not ever. To obligate you at that point…"

"I understand," Aizen said, running his hand warmly over the pulsing reiatsu cluster, "I was very serious that it would be a problem. But I have to tell you, watashi no koi, you are incredibly beautiful carrying our baby. If you _had_ told me…and I had seen the reality of it, I think my resistance to you might very well have crumbled."

He brushed several troublesome strands of dark hair out of the noble's eyes and kissed him lingeringly.

"It is certainly in tatters now," he laughed softly, "I am not a sentimental man, but you are lovely like this, Byakuya."

"Ugh," the noble groaned, leaning forward and panting softly to work his way through the pain, "I look _awful_! I am soaking wet, covered in mud and sweat, and…"

"And you have never looked more attractive."

"Liar!" Byakuya snapped, not quite able to fend off a smile.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Aizen asked, rubbing the noble's belly and earning a tentative kiss, "You know, if you were not in the midst of having our baby, I think I would be overcome."

"Oh gods, don't talk about sex, Sousuke," Byakuya pleaded, closing his eyes and panting his way through another sharp pain, "I can't think about that right now…"

"Then just think about how lovely our baby is going to be," the fifth division taichou said encouragingly.

Byakuya nodded briefly, but Aizen couldn't help but notice the glimmer of sadness in his expression. He brought his face close to the noble's and brushed their lips together, reaching down and squeezing his hand.

"Everything will be fine now, Byakuya," he said quietly.

"W-will it?" the noble asked softly, "Because the reasons we parted ways are still there. And this child is not going to change that."

"Put all of that aside, for now," Aizen chided him gently, "You need to remain calm. I think you will be delivering soon. Focus on that. We can talk about all of the rest when you come home."

Byakuya gave him a tormented look.

"S-sousuke, I…I don't know if I _can_ return. The…the truth is that…there was another reason that I did not come back."

"Not that peasant girl…"

"Well, her in part, because she did save my life when I fell into the water. She was the one who found me and helped me reach the town healer. But my reasons go beyond that as well. Sousuke, something…happened…once, when I was in your quarters. You…you told me to w-wait for you, and I was walking to the desk to pour a glass of sake. I h-heard a voice."

Byakuya's eyes suddenly closed and he sagged against Aizen's body.

"A…Byakuya?" Aizen said, touching his face and flinching at the unnatural warmth. He lowered the noble onto his back as Byakuya mumbled incoherently, "Byakuya, I'm going to deliver the baby, and then we have to get you to a healer."

"B-but…it said…w-we would…die if I came b-back!"

"What? Who said that, Byakuya?"

"I…I don't know," Byakuya moaned, thrashing uncomfortably as another wave of intense pain passed over him, "A…a…v-voice."

"Byakuya?"

"S-sou…suke? Sousuke, don't…don't leave me! D-don't go!"

"I am not leaving you, watashi no koi, I promise. Try to rest. I am going to give you a pain block to help relax you."

"D-don't…I am sorry. Don't…hurt…"

He trailed off as the pain block set in and the fifth division taichou took the noble in his arms and held him close. He sent his reiatsu into Byakuya's now brightly luminescent belly and rubbed the area gently with his hands.

"Just relax now, Byakuya…be calm," Aizen whispered in his ear, "It's almost time for our baby to be born. You want to be well rested so that you will not miss that moment. And before that moment comes, I have to tell you…I have hated being without you. And I know from trying to, that it simply doesn't work. I _have_ to be with you. I tried moving on, but I only ever saw your face, only smelled your scent, only spoke your name. I dreamed every night of you coming back to me. You have to come back to me. There is much we will have to do to be together…sacrifices we will have to make, and some of them will be painful ones. But I am finished lying to myself, Byakuya. _You are the air I breathe, and I will die without you…_"

He smiled as Byakuya stirred and nestled more deeply in his arms. It concerned him that the noble was still so feverish, but he bathed the lovely, pale face with a cool, wet cloth and continue to hold him and rub his belly tenderly. The power radiating around the reiatsu cluster flared and flickered restlessly, lighting the inside of the shielded area he had set around them. Outside, lightning continued to flash, thunder to sound and the rain poured down steadily, lulling the discomfited noble back to sleep.

Some time later, Byakuya's eyes opened and his reiatsu flashed and pulsated more sharply. Aizen's hand slipped into his and he brought their faces close together, placing his other hand on the noble's abdomen and trying to ignore how low his reiatsu seemed.

"It's time, now," he said softly, "Don't close your eyes. You will want to see this."

"I…I won't. I wouldn't miss this…f-for anything," Byakuya panted, gripping Aizen's hand as the light around his abdomen shined bright white, and the two shinigamis felt the presence of new life.

"Slow your breathing," Aizen told him quietly, "You look like you are about to lose consciousness."

"Oh…I'll try not to, but I feel so…so dizzy."

"Stay with me, Byakuya."

"I am…w-with you, Sousuke."

"Good…here comes our baby!"

He sent his reiatsu into Byakuya's abdomen, slowly letting it wrap around the reiatsu cluster inside him. Gradually, so slowly, it barely seemed to register, he applied gentle pressure, bringing the reiatsu cluster up and then out of Byakuya's softly shaking body. When fully removed, it fit into his open hands. He brought the cluster to rest in his lap and kept his own reiatsu wrapped protectively around it as it pulsed softly and began to solidify. Byakuya turned his head and watched with glazed, fevered eyes as the soft, pale pink skin appeared, as a pair of dark gray eyes formed and peered up at Aizen's face. Aizen's face shone as his eyes found tiny fingers and toes, pretty, pink lips and surprisingly thick brown hair. He waited until the protective fog around the child cleared, then smiled down at the baby and wrapped it in the warm folds of the cloak he had wrapped around Byakuya. He set the gurgling bundle in Byakuya's arms and laid down next to them, speaking quietly into the noble's ear.

"We have a daughter, Byakuya. We have a beautiful baby girl. Look at how lovely she is."

Byakuya stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked several times, slowly bringing the baby girl's face into focus.

"A baby girl?" he whispered, "S-sousuke, she is…she has…"

"Your eyes," Aizen breathed, "my brown hair…small fingers and toes like yours. She is perfect, Byakuya."

He saw sudden tears form in the noble's eyes and brushed them away.

"Come now, the worst is over. Rest now, you have had a difficult time."

"Don't…t-take her away. I'm…sorry I left and ran from you. Be angry with m-me if you must, Sousuke, but…but don't take her away, please don't take her away."

Aizen's fingers sank into his hair and he kissed the noble's damp forehead gently.

"Why are you so overwrought, Byakuya?" he asked softly, "You worried that I would kill the two of you…and you worry now that I will take her away from you? I need you to tell me why you are so fearful of me. What have I done to make you think I would do such monstrous things?"

"Th-that voice…" Byakuya managed, his voice weakening, "It s-said that…that if I came back, we…would die."

"The voice you heard in my quarters?"

"Y-yes, it said…it granted my desire. But…it warned me that…I was distracting you. And…if I came back, it was going to see that I died."

Aizen stared down at the semi-conscious noble, frowning and thinking.

"Your desires…" he breathed, his eyes widening, "You…were hearing the voice of the hougyoku?"

Byakuya's lips moved, but the soft sounds that issued from them held no meaning. He held their baby close and curled his body around hers, resting his head against Aizen's shoulder. The fifth division taichou stroked their daughter's face and hair, his mind turning over the purported behavior of the hougyoku.

_I suspected, of course, that it had a will of its own, but until now, it never seemed to exert its will except to respond to my desires. Yet it also granted Byakuya's desires, though in a destructive way. It seems I will have to do something to reassure the hougyoku's sentience that I have not altered my desires._

Yet looking down at his sleeping lover and his brand new daughter, he did feel a deep connection, a protectiveness that he knew that the hougyoku would see as a vulnerability.

"How do I hold on to them and not let go of all of my plans?" he whispered.

But then, he had to admit that his relationship with Byakuya, and now the birth of their daughter were causing pressures that made him wonder about his path.

_I still believe that the government we live under is too corrupt. The king is not strong enough to manage the worlds he created, and even the forces he created to assist him have been corrupted. I have been inside Central 46. I know the noble lords who make those decisions…and how justice has nothing to do with it. Central 46 is controlled by the noble families, and the Gotei 13 cannot balance it because it is controlled by the dictates of Central 46. There is only one answer. Our worlds need greater strength in that highest position of power. It is that place I will seek, and I will bring down the corrupt system and devise something much better._

_But my plans will break the back of the noble clans…and my lover, the bearer of my child is heir to one of the clans I will destroy. It is this that weighs upon the sentience inside the hougyoku. It concerns itself that I might lose my resolve if forced to do that which will hurt my lover. But Byakuya knows of the corruption. Perhaps he can be made to see…_

He broke off as Byakuya began to moan and move about in his sleep. Aizen lifted their baby out of his embrace and wrapped her comfortably, then left her sleeping as he turned back to his feverish lover.

"It…s-said, Sousuke?"

"I am here, Byakuya," he said, washing the noble's face, then sending healing reiatsu into him, trying to bring down his fever, "Try to sleep. I am going to see if I can get the horse up to the top of the hill and take the two of you to a healer. We're close to the healer you saw before in Inuzuri. Perhaps he can help."

He left Byakuya and the newborn warmly wrapped and led Arashi through the shield and back out into the rain.

"We need to get to the road," he told the stallion, "Come."

He walked alongside the horse until he found an area that offered somewhat better footing and slowly led Arashi upward, steadying the horse as they went. The stallion's feet slid ominously a few times, but after a fashion, the two stood on the road.

"Wait here," he told Arashi, "I will bring Byakuya and the baby."

He made his way back down the incline and to the shielded area, then helped Byakuya to his feet.

"Come, watashi no koi," he said softly, "I will help you to Arashi."

Byakuya mumbled something unintelligible, then took a few staggering steps before simply collapsing into the fifth division taichou's arms. Aizen carried him up to the road and set him down, then returned to their shelter for the baby. He coaxed Arashi into kneeling, then laid Byakuya across his back and climbed on, holding the baby in his arms. They moved slowly down the trail as the rain continued to fall all around them. Aizen held the baby within the warm folds of his cloak, smiling as her tiny fingers touched his skin lightly and she cooed softly. Byakuya remained ominously quiet and unmoving. Aizen felt a surge of relief as the stallion left the forest and entered Inuzuri. Within minutes, they were stopping at the healer's door.

Aizen waited as Arashi lowered himself onto his knees again, then slid off and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened and the old healer appeared.

"I am sorry to bother you so late," he said quickly, "but my…friend has been hurt. I was able to help him have the child he was carrying, but he is feverish and seems delirious."

"I will take her," the healer said, nodding, "and you go and bring your friend inside."

Michio took the baby from Aizen's arms and carried her into one of the bedrooms, where his wife was already waiting. She left the room and led Aizen back, grabbing a dry yukata as they passed through the front room. Aizen laid the noble down on the bed and the healer moved to join them.

"The baby is in perfect health," he said, then his eyes widened as he looked down at the face of the man, "Byakuya? What was Byakuya doing out on such a night? And that was Arashi you were riding?"

Byakuya's arm rose shakily and his hand took hold of the healer's sleeve.

"T-tesuya and…Hisa…na. The…ah…trail near here. It collapsed. They are…still t-trapped."

"Noa will send someone for them," Michio said reassuringly, "Now, be at ease, Byakuya-san. You have an infection. I am going to give you an antibiotic and a pain block."

"M-my baby?"

"She is fine. We will care for her until you are well enough."

The healer and his wife left the room and Aizen sat down next to Byakuya, sliding a hand into his as the noble slept. Byakuya drifted in and out of sleep, shifting uncomfortably until Aizen undressed and laid down next to him. He brushed the wet hairs away from his face and kissed him on his too warm lips. Byakuya's eyes opened and met his, only half-cognizant.

"Sousuke?" he whispered, "Are you…r-really here?"

"I am," Aizen said, squeezing his hand, "Everything will be all right now. Sleep, Byakuya."

"I am glad you found us," the noble said dazedly, clutching his hand more tightly, "b-but I am worried, Sousuke. It said that I would die. Is that what is happening? Am I dying?"

"No, watashi no koi, you will be all right. You just have an infection. Rest quietly now."

"Our baby?"

"She is fine," he assured the noble, collecting the infant and bringing her to the bed, "You see? She is perfect, Byakuya. We do need to name her, though. Had you thought of what you wanted to call her?"

"I…wasn't sure. Can you think of something fitting?" Byakuya asked softly.

Aizen looked out the window, into the darkness, where the rain still poured down.

"What about Amaya?" he asked, "It means, 'night rain.' I think that is a fitting name, considering the storm.

"Amaya," Byakuya repeated, his hazed eyes blinking slowly, "That is lovely, Sousuke."

"She is a lovely girl. Now sleep. I will look after her."

"Arigato, Sousuke," Byakuya said weakly, "I know that…no m-matter what happens to me…you will k-keep her…safe."

Aizen watched as the noble drifted off to sleep again, then stood and held the baby in his arms, his eyes fixed on the falling rain and his heart as turbulent as the wind outside.


	15. Desires

**Chapter 15: Desires**

"Michio-san, why hasn't he awakened?" Aizen asked quietly, "He should have opened his eyes by now."

"He should have come awake some time ago, actually," said the doctor, gazing down at the noble with troubled eyes.

"What is affecting him?"

"I am not certain why it is happening, but he is gradually losing his reiatsu and weakening physically. It could be many things…the fact that male pregnancies put unnatural strain on the body and spirit centers, the stress of what he went through during the delivery, exposure to the weather, when he was already under other pressures, the fall he took…or something we may never determine."

The brown-eyed shinigami sighed softly and closed his eyes.

"And is there nothing you can do?"

Michio shook his head gently.

"Nothing, other than infusing him with reiatsu, as we are, and providing comfort. I think it will also help if you keep the baby near him, and perhaps talk to him, let him know you are here."

"And do you think that it would help to evacuate him to the Seireitei?" Aizen asked.

Michio shook his head again.

"He is too weak to be moved. The journey back could be too much for him. And in any case, Unohana taichou would only do the same thing we are. I will call her to consult, if you wish, but I think everything that can be done has been done. We must wait and comfort and encourage him."

Aizen took a soft breath and focused on Byakuya's sleeping face.

"Were they able to find the others that he was looking for?" he asked.

"Yes," Michio said, nodding, "They are here resting and lucky to have escaped with only minor injuries."

"Good. Byakuya will be relieved…"

"You should continue talking to him. Tell him they are all right. Place the baby close to him and let her touch him…anything to stir him and make him fight harder."

"Of course."

"I will have Noa bring the two of you some hot tea and soup, and some formula for the baby. If he wakes, encourage him to eat and drink whatever he can manage."

"I will."

He watched quietly as the old healer left the room, then gathered Amaya in his arms and returned to the bed, placing the infant in his lap. The door opened and Noa stepped into the room and set their soup and tea beside the bed, then handed a bottle of formula to Aizen. She studied him quietly as he held the baby and watched her suck hungrily at the bottle.

"You are good with her," commented the healer's wife.

She paused again, thinking.

"I do not mean to pry," she went on, "but Byakuya-san has never mentioned you. And he has told us that the child's father did not want a child. He was, in fact, worried for his safety and even went so far as to conceal himself with his cousin for the duration of the pregnancy. So I am wondering…"

"I am the child's father," Aizen said quietly, "And while it is true that I previously explained to Byakuya that I did not wish to be married or have children, I have since reconsidered."

"But what concerns me is Byakuya-san and this child's safety. Someone attacked Byakuya-san and that is why he went into hiding."

"You needn't worry about that," Aizen assured the woman, "That situation has resolved itself, and it is safe for Byakuya to return now."

"Is it, now?" the old woman queried, "I hope so, for his sake and for Amaya-chan's. But I worry. Byakuya-san is a powerful shinigami, but he feared the one who caused his injury."

"S-sousuke?" murmured Byakuya, stirring in his sleep.

"I am here," the brown-eyed shinigami said, giving the slowly waking noble an affectionate smile.

"Are you r-really," Byakuya said, feverishly, "I wondered…if it might have been a dream."

"It is no dream, watashi no koi," said Aizen, "I am here and our baby is here."

"It looks as though the two of you have things to say to each other," said Noa, turning towards the door, "Just inform me if you need anything."

"Thank you," said Aizen, nodding.

"Sousuke," whispered Byakuya, "Why did you come? How did you…know? I was alone…lost. How did you find me?"

"We are connected, it seems, by more than just our daughter," said Aizen, "I encountered a vision that led me to you. And despite not having been able to find you prior to that, I was able to reach you when your lives were threatened."

Byakuya's eyes widened and seemed to become more troubled.

"What is it?"

"A vision, you say?" Byakuya queried softly, wincing as he tried to sit up.

He moved more slowly and managed it, then sat, gazing down at the infant in the other man's arms.

"I saw you fall in the forest and become trapped," confirmed Aizen, "and an odd reiatsu rose up that led me to you. Are you saying that you know why it happened?"

"Soul resonance," Byakuya said softly, "There is an emotional and reiatsu based connection between living things, but that resonance is especially strong between some beings. And as two beings move towards perfect resonance…such things are possible."

"You act as though that is not a good thing," said Aizen questioningly, "but we have long known that the fires burn hot between us…and that we have a very strong connection."

"But we had also come to a point where we agreed that we must part ways. And you took back from me the trust you had yielded."

"I took back a burden that I should not have laid upon you," said Aizen, "And I did so lovingly. I never meant for you to be hurt, Byakuya. You merely misunderstood me and misunderstanding me caused you to fear me. I still see fear in you. But I also sense love. You still love me, watashi no koi."

Byakuya stared down at Amaya and touched his fingers lightly to hers.

"How could I not love you?" he asked softly, "You threw open the doors to my heart, Sousuke. You reached a place inside me that no one else has…and you loved what no one else could! You know that I did not want to leave you, but…you did not want this obligation. You still do not want this obligation…and whoever you are working with is willing to kill me and our child to break us apart. But I cannot face this danger. Only you can do that, because only you have knowledge of this being."

"You do not know what you are asking…"

"I am asking you to make the way safe for us. Go to this one, who has threatened us…and make the way safe for us to return. I will come home. I will come back to you. And I will never walk away from you again!"

There was silence between them for a time as they drifted in their thoughts and their eyes watched their daughter as she sucked contentedly at her bottle.

"I will need some time," Aizen said finally, "I will need time to clear the way for you. I will remain with you and make sure you are well enough to care for our Amaya, and then I will return to the Seireitei and make things safe for you."

"You understand," said Byakuya, "that I cannot bring Amaya to the Seireitei?"

He paused for a moment and cleared his throat softly.

"She is the heir, and if she returns with me, then what happened between us will come out. It will dishonor me, as I am still betrothed to Eri. And I think it will complicate things for you…and most importantly, it will certainly endanger her. So she will remain with my cousin…and we will not reveal to her that she is ours…until whatever holds us back is resolved and we can be together honorably!"

"But…our own daughter will not know us?" Aizen asked, his eyes troubled.

"She will know us," Byakuya assured him, "But instead of being parents, we will be _nakama_ to her."

Aizen regarded their daughter with brooding eyes.

"This is why I did not want to walk this pathway," he said softly, "I knew the price would be high…"

He sighed resignedly.

"But I will admit that I am overwhelmed with love for both of you. So we will do what we must. But first, let us leave here. We will have some time as a family while you heal. We will prepare ourselves to leave our daughter in safer hands. Will you come with me?"

Byakuya looked into his eyes.

"Now?" he asked softly.

"Right now. Are you strong enough?"

Byakuya hesitated, then nodded. Aizen rose and placed the baby in her bassinet, then helped Byakuya out of bed, and assisted him in dressing. They wrapped their daughter warmly and Byakuya held the girl close in his arms.

"Close your eyes," Aizen said quietly.

When Byakuya's eyes were closed, he touched his zanpakutou and breathed the words of release.

"Come," he told the noble.

Byakuya followed him out of the room. He caught his breath in surprise as they walked past Michio and Noa without the old couple seeming to notice them. Out on the street, too, no one appeared to notice they were there. Byakuya thought about asking him about the power he was using, but sensed that if he had asked for Byakuya to close his eyes, he wished to keep the information private. Still, it was amazing to see everyone seeming to 'overlook' them. He opened a senkaimon to speed their passage into the upper Rukongai, then led Byakuya to a wooded area, just outside the town, where a lovely cottage stood beside a large lake.

"What is this place?" Byakuya asked as Aizen led him into the house, "Do you own this house?"

"Yes," Aizen affirmed, "I come here for peace and reflection sometimes…and to train with my zanpakutou. We will have privacy here. I may not be able to marry you now…but we will have this dream to tide us over, Byakuya. I will take care of you and make you well again and we will spend some time with Amaya before we are forced to part ways. I hope that this will give us the strength to pass through what we must to find our way back to each other."

Byakuya looked around the lovely environs, tears coming to his eyes.

"This is a beautiful place, Sousuke. Arigato…for giving us this time to dream."

Aizen lifted their daughter out of the weary noble's arms.

"You need to go back to bed," he said reprovingly, "I will make her comfortable and then will bring you something to eat and some tea. Go and lie down, Byakuya."

Byakuya nodded and followed him to a large bedroom that had a large bay window that provided a sweeping view of the lake. He undressed and wrapped a clean yukata around his once again normal sized frame, then climbed into the huge, comfortable bed and settled beneath the covers, watching as the brown-eyed shinigami wrapped the baby warmly and laid her in a bassinet.

"Where did that come from?" Byakuya asked.

"One of the attendants who was here had a baby and left it when she left," Aizen explained, leaning over to give their daughter a kiss on the forehead.

He left the room and Byakuya settled against the pillows, his eyes focused on the blue sky outside the window. He let his mind wander aimlessly, trying to avoid thinking about what would happen next. He only wanted to focus on the nearness of his lover and their daughter, this lovely, quiet place they were enjoying, and the simple pleasure of being in a home together, even though it would only be for a brief time. He sighed softly and summoned a hell butterfly, then whispered a message to Tetsuya, telling him what had happened and asking for him to keep Hisana at the cabin until he returned. Then, despite his guilt at leaving his cousin and friend behind, he shifted his focus back to enjoying the limited time he had with the ones he was with.

Aizen returned to the bedroom and set a tray of food in his lap, then sat down next to him and the two shared a meal together. Afterwards, Aizen cleared the dishes away and returned to the bedroom to infuse Byakuya's body with healing reiatsu.

"We will have to do this constantly over the next several days to stabilize your reiatsu and make you stronger," Aizen said as he sent his reiatsu into Byakuya.

"I am sorry to be such a burden to you," Byakuya said, looking up into his eyes.

Aizen smiled down at him.

"You are no burden, Kuchiki Byakuya," he said, shaking his head, "I told you. I love you and I am going to make you well again."

"I love you too, Sousuke," the noble said warmly, folding himself into his lover's arms.

"Oh…do not start tempting me," Aizen said reprovingly, "You are not nearly recovered enough for making love."

"I do not care," whispered Byakuya, opening their yukatas and pressing his naked body against the other man's, "I haven't been with you in ages! And even if all we do is lie naked together…still I must be with you this way!"

"Byakuya…"

He lost the will to resist as his mouth was warmly invaded and the noble's body pressed closer, the lovely, pale skin cooling his hotter flesh where they touched. The half-closed and dreamy gray eyes snared him and drew him in as Byakuya's body moved against his, rubbing their lengths together.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Byakuya," Aizen objected.

He froze as the noble's lips kissed their way to his ear.

"Sousuke," he whispered longingly, "I haven't had you inside me for so long. I want you inside me. Be with me, Sousuke."

Aizen returned his kisses hungrily, turning the noble onto his back, then moving slowly down the length of his body, treasuring every inch of him with parted lips and stroking fingers and leaving Byakuya flushed and panting. He parted the noble's thighs and settled between them, looking down into the pretty gray eyes adoringly.

"I promised myself that I wouldn't let you talk me into this until you had healed," he said, smirking, "but even though I am giving you your way, I will be gentle with you while you are recovering."

Byakuya smiled and tilted his head back, inviting a gentle assault as Aizen's body moved into position between his legs. He moaned and his eyes went hazy with lust as the tip of Aizen's thick, wet member touched his entrance, then slowly pushed inside him and the brown-eyed shinigami kissed him harder and struggled to keep his passion in check. But his reiatsu rose as their bodies joined and within moments, his body raged heatedly against Byakuya's writhing form.

"Kami, I missed you!" Byakuya moaned between hard, penetrating kisses, "I felt dead inside without you, but you bring me back to life, Sousuke…"

"I feel the same, watashi no koi," Aizen breathed into his ear, sucking on his earlobe, then attacking his throat again and thrusting into him harder and faster as the pale hips bucked upward into his and the noble's moans rose into cries of pleasure.

His hand wrapped around the noble's swollen arousal, stroking it in time with their movements and bringing him slowly to the brink of ecstasy. They fell into each other's eyes as they climaxed together, their rough, passionate cries filling the air as their bodies seized and shuddered heavily in release. They went quiet for a time, panting softly against each others' damp flesh, and fell asleep with their bodies still joined.


	16. While the Sun Shines

**Chapter 16: While the Sun Shines**

Byakuya rested quietly on his stomach, on the soft grass beneath a sakura tree, watching the blossoms fall as he gently tickled Amaya's tiny fingertips. The infant's eyes fixed on him and her small hand curled around his finger. He watched out of the corner of one gray eye as Aizen sat down beside him and watched for a moment, before letting his fingers play along the baby's cheek and giving her toes a soft tickle. Amaya squawked and let out a loud exclamation.

"She looks a bit agitated," he commented.

"You have that effect on people sometimes," Byakuya said blithely, kissing their baby on the forehead and picking her up.

"It is time for her to have her bottle and a nap."

"Isn't she the fortunate one," remarked Sousuke, smiling, "I would like to spend more than half of my days curled up in bed."

"And would you curl up in your bed alone, watashi no koi?" Byakuya said, smirking.

Aizen gave him a smoldering gaze.

"I think that the fact of my wanting your company goes without saying," he answered silkenly.

He watched closely as an attendant came out of the house and took the baby from Byakuya, then crept up behind the noble, using an illusion to hide his approach. Byakuya caught his breath in surprise as he was taken swiftly to the ground and quickly deprived of his clothes, as Aizen's hot mouth fastened on his, and his lover's strong body held him down on the ground in the shade of the tree.

"S-sousuke!" Byakuya managed between seething kisses, "The attendant will see! I don't want to…"

"Shh," Aizen breathed hotly against his lips, "She can't see us. All she sees is the two of us sitting and enjoying our tea, here beneath the tree.

"H-how can that b-be?" the noble panted as Aizen bit down hungrily on his throat, "Shades, Sousuke…n-now I think…I s-see where our daughter gets her…personality. She too…wants everything now!"

Byakuya sank his fingers into the other man's hair, groaning and writhing as soft, erotic shocks ran through him. A gasp escaped him as another attendant emerged from the house and walked towards them.

"Sousuke! Sousuke, the…ah, hah…the attendant is…"

"I know," said the other man, attacking one erect, pink nipple with his tongue, while gently tormenting the other with his fingers. He looked up for a moment, smiling and thanking the woman as she cleared away their dishes, then returned to sweetly assaulting the man beneath him.

"H-how?"

"Never you mind how," he told his deeply blushing mate, "She didn't see anything. That's all you need to know, ne?"

He ran a lusty tongue down the noble's chest and attacked his navel, thrusting his tongue inside, closing his eyes and sucking warmly. The fingers of one hand followed the line of fine hairs down to where the noble's swollen erection rested in a nest of black curls. He teased it as his hand slid down, exciting several drops of fluid from the tip, following the long shaft and pausing to explore the soft sac, before moving down lower and stroking the area around his entrance. Byakuya shivered and moaned, writhing wantonly as Aizen's mouth left his navel and moved lower to explore his nether region.

"S-sousuke!" he gasped, tightening his hands reflexively in his lover's hair as Aizen's tongue ran lustily down his flushed length.

The brown-eyed shinigami moved so that he knelt between the noble's naked thighs and ran his tongue up the long shaft, making Byakuya's member twitch and leak more of the pearly fluid. He mouthed the wet head relentlessly as Byakuya's hips rose and the noble moaned restlessly. His fingers continued to stimulate his lover's entrance as his mouth wrapped around the noble's warm sac, sucking hard enough to send nervous shivers through Byakuya, but not enough to cause pain. Between the attentions of his mouth and hands, he brought Byakuya to the brink of release and held him there, watching passion mingle with budding anger until that sweet mouth uttered a soft curse.

Chuckling, he coaxed the noble onto his stomach and laid on his strong, white back, then brought the head of his own leaking erection to his lover's entrance. Byakuya's hands clenched, digging into the soft grass and moist soil and sending the rich scents over his senses as his body was roughly invaded from behind. He couldn't help but raise his bottom to meet Aizen's powerful thrusts. He clawed the ground and lost himself in the rough, primal sounds that escaped him as Aizen's hands held onto his hips and his thick length continued its deep, fast penetrations.

Byakuya felt a soft flare of dissatisfaction as his own length hung, neglected and aching to be stimulated. He longed for the touch of his lover's hand and blushed brightly as his lips parted to plead for it. He was shocked when there was no response. Aizen continued to hold him tightly in place, thrusting into him and just missing that place inside that wanted to feel his thrust the most.

"S-sousuke…Sousuke…pl…bastard! You are…"

He tried to lower his hips to create friction between his hungry cock and the ground, but Aizen's hands held him tantalizingly close.

"Damn you, let go!" he snapped, trying to pull away.

"Oh…you _are_ a bit riled, aren't you?" Aizen said, leaning over to lick his ear, "I think you are sorry you ever thought of leaving me, ne?"

"You _know_ I never wanted to leave you," the noble hissed, "Now, stop teasing and…"

"And what?" asked Aizen, slowing his thrusting and forcing Byakuya down.

He bit down on the fine flesh of one pale shoulder, leaving teeth marks behind as Byakuya swore again and tried to wriggle free. His movements made his cock rub lightly against the grass, and he gasped at the sudden return of sensation.

"That felt _good_, didn't it?" Aizen purred, "And how does this feel?"

He shifted slightly and pushed in so that the head of his member teased the pleasure center inside Byakuya. Byakuya tried to speak, but the words left him in an unintelligible gasp of intense arousal.

"What was that?" Aizen said, teasing the area again with his length, "I couldn't understand you.

Byakuya groaned and raised his hips reflexively, seeking the pleasing contact again. Aizen laughed, making Byakuya moan and quiver beneath him, then smiled against a trembling, sweating shoulder, breathing in the lovely sakura scent as he wrapped his hand around the noble's waiting member and resumed his heavy thrusting. Byakuya panted out a relieved cry and moved his hips to deepen the impact. Aizen's hardness found the bundle of nerves inside him again, and this time, struck hard…one, two, three breathtaking times before Byakuya loosed a scream of pleasure and shuddered underneath him, releasing in long, hot pulses onto the other man's still stroking hand, and onto the grass beneath them. Byakuya groaned as Aizen thrust in hard and held his sweating body close to Byakuya's, his breath shortening, and his eyelids fluttering, his face was made over into a mask of intense pleasure as his release filled Byakuya, leaving both men trembling softly in afterglow.

Byakuya sighed wearily as he was turned and brought to rest in Aizen's strong, warm arms. Their chests still heaved gently and their lips tickled with extra sensitivity after their coupling. Byakuya looked at Aizen through tumbled strands of jet black hair and met his kisses more solemnly.

"You are unhappy," Aizen said, touching his lips, "You don't want to admit it."

Byakuya took a solemn breath.

"I don't like how quickly these days have gone," he admitted softly, "I hate that we have to leave here, that we have to allow our child to be raised by other people. I wonder, Sousuke…I am not accusing, but I wonder what you could have involved yourself in that we could not be together. Do not worry, I don't expect answers. And I know now that leaving you is impossible. I can't bear to be without you. M-my obsession runs as deeply as your own, I think."

"Hmmm," sighed Aizen, closing his eyes, "I believe so. For a time, I doubted…I doubted the strength of what is between us. But I do not doubt anymore…not you and not myself. Ours is an all-encompassing obsession…beautiful, passionate…and horribly dangerous. We have tried letting go and it seems that it's impossible. We are working against our nature when we deny how we long for each other."

"And yet you still think I should marry Eri?" Byakuya queried softly.

Aizen hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

I think you must…to protect your family's honor. But perhaps you should only lie with her on your wedding night."

"What?" Byakuya said softly, his eyes widening, "but…Sousuke, does that mean that…?"

"I hate the idea of you going to bed with anyone but me. I know that you have to…to make the next heir, because our Amaya must remain a beautiful secret, but," he said, reaching down to touch the noble's sated member, "I will admit now that I want to be the only one who touches you. You have invaded my heart so that no other can please me the way that you do. And I want to be the master of your heart, Byakuya."

The noble smiled.

"Don't you understand? You already are. I would think that you would have figured that out by now. I want to marry you, not anyone else. And I want to fill Kuchiki Manor with _our_ children. I want our Amaya to be named my heir! I didn't leave you because of any lack of returned love, Sousuke, I only left because my love for you was too much…but without your agreement, I could not embrace it openly. So I left you…and I only found that my life is empty without you. I cannot be with anyone but you."

He took a slow, steadying breath as Aizen's head turned, and the brown-eyed shinigami kissed and licked his throat sleepily.

"Then…you will return and marry Eri…and before you do, you will admit to her that you have a lover. You will tell her that you will lie with her only once."

"But what if we are not successful in creating the heir?" Byakuya asked quietly, "We have to…"

"You will be successful…because I will not tolerate you being with her more than that once."

Byakuya's lips tightened.

"And what about you, Sousuke?" he asked solemnly, "You have said more than once that you could not be with another because thoughts of me interfered. I assume that means that you have not been alone in your bed all of this time. If you demand this of me, then it must be mutual."

Aizen smiled and nodded, licking Byakuya's lips and kissing him indulgently.

"Of course," he agreed, "From this moment on, there will never be another. I swear it. I was only with Gin to try to forget you. And it failed miserably."

Byakuya's eyes took on a decidedly aggressive shine.

"I begin to understand why you are insistent in having me to yourself," he admitted, anger invading his voice, "because I hate the very thought of that snake touching you! Please tell me that you never allowed him to…"

"No," Aizen assured him, kissing away the words, "Only you will ever have that honor. No one has ever enslaved my heart like you have…Kuchiki Byakuya."

Byakuya's eyes closed and his smile faded slightly as Aizen's mouth assaulted his throat again, and he moved into a slower, more sensual seduction than the first. Byakuya tilted his head back, his hands sliding down his lover's shoulders and his legs parting easily as Aizen slid down between them. The brown-eyed shinigami took his time exploring Byakuya's body, pushing his fingers into the noble's already wet entrance and enjoying the reminders of his place in the noble's body and heart. He wanted to stand alone in his lover's very soul…to make Byakuya ache for him, long for his touch as obsessively as he longed for Byakuya's, to empty his mind of all else but their love…to steal him away from his family and responsibilities. But even as he ached to do so…to give in and marry Byakuya, he felt the hougyoku's displeasure at his reconnection with the noble. He understood why.

_He affects my desires, so of course the hougyoku sees him as a threat. And it has made its displeasure known to him, even if it has not revealed its nature to Byakuya. But my resolve in not marrying Byakuya, and in encouraging his loveless marriage to that noble woman should appease it. And after I have become king, I can dissolve their bonds and claim him as my own consort, with Amaya as our royal heir. It will be all right in the end, as long as we do not allow our connection to make us careless._

He climbed onto his knees and pulled his lover onto his lap, bringing Byakuya down roughly onto his returned erection. He held onto the perfect, white bottom, his hands rising and falling with Byakuya's beautifully dizzying movements, tightening as the noble nipped at his lips and tasted the tender flesh of his throat. He growled softly and moved his hips in time with Byakuya's rises and falls, sinking deeply inside and stroking the lovely man's cock until the noble's eyes glazed over and he disappeared into the pleasure of an even stronger climax than the first. He watched the noble's face and body as they fell under the power of the pleasure he gave them, and found himself smiling contentedly as a second offering of his seed exploded out of him and into Byakuya's depths. He held Byakuya tightly against him, breathing in the smell of sakura and enjoying the sweet feeling of Byakuya's body being wrapped around his length that way. He sought the noble's mouth again and kissed him possessively, biting at his lips and leaving them deeply pink and slightly swollen.

"Are you all right, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked, closing his eyes and resting his head on his lover's shoulder with the other man's length still deep inside him, "Your reiatsu seems quite riled…ever since we spoke of…"

"Never mind that," Aizen said, running his fingers through the noble's wildly displaced hair and pushing deeper into him, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we are staying together."

Byakuya's eyes remained closed and he sighed at how good it felt to have the other man's cock inside him and his fingers entangled in the lengths of his hair, and the firm lips still stealing kisses as their passion gave way to peaceful rest.

"I love you, Sousuke," Byakuya whispered, "And I will love only you, even if you can never marry me and we cannot have another child. I will find a way to stay with you always."

"Yes, my lover," Aizen answered, his eyelids fluttering and tickling the sensitive skin on Byakuya's neck, "We will always be together, no matter what happens."

"Have you told Gin that?"

"Hmmm, not yet. I will tell him when I return."

"Did you tell him where you were going when you left?"

Aizen chuckled.

"He doesn't know I left," he told the noble, "He thinks he is with me."

Byakuya frowned and shook his head.

"I sense this is another time when I should keep my questions to myself. You are a resourceful man, Aizen Sousuke. But…if you fool Gin into thinking that you are with him when you are here, could you not also be deceiving me?"

Aizen shook his head.

"You are too close to my heart. You would know if it was not me."

"I see," said Byakuya, "so this ability can be overcome."

"I thought you weren't asking questions," said Aizen, lowering Byakuya onto his back, "I think I will have to distract you out of your curiosity."

Byakuya smirked.

"You may try," he said coyly, "but you will find that it takes something quite overpowering to distract me."

"I think I know just the thing," Aizen replied, giving him a sly smile and bringing their lips together again.

In the distance, Gin stood, concealed in the trees, and watching with unreadable, slitted eyes.

_I see through your illusions now. I was ready to forgive you…to love you instead of killing you when the chance came. But I didn't realize that the only reason you recognized the snake in me…was because we are kin. But now, you will pay…you and that insipid, noble fuck of yours._

He caught his breath in surprise as a soft whisper of a voice entered his mind.

_Do not blame Aizen Sousuke for this, _it said quietly, _It is that noble who has corrupted him. But if you will open your heart to me and let me work inside you, I will make that noble whore disappear…and you will be free to claim him as your own._

Gin glanced around, frowning for a moment, then his eyes returned to watching Aizen as he sank his lusting member into Byakuya's too pretty ass for a third time. He couldn't help but harden, himself, at the loud noises that Byakuya made as his body was taken and fucked passionately by the other man.

"They _are _kind of hot together," he whispered, reaching down to pleasure himself as he continued to watch, "But as steamy as they are, Byakuya will pay for this…and _he_ will die for it!"

The odd voice he had heard before seemed to fall into an uneasy silence as Gin stroked himself and watched Byakuya's body writhe and shudder beneath Aizen's. Byakuya's cries of pleasure both infuriated and aroused him, and he imagined it was his body being taken by Aizen's, then in his mind, he stole that pleasure.

The pleasure washed over him in a warm wave as he climaxed and let his seed pour out onto his hand. He laughed to himself, thinking about how he would torment Byakuya to make him pay. All that he waited for now…was for Byakuya to return home.

"Soon," he whispered, tasting his own release, "Soon now, Byakuya. You will be sorry you ever laid eyes on him!"


	17. The Parting

**Chapter 17: The Parting**

Byakuya felt the warmth of the late morning sun coming in through the window, but hated to stir, not wanting to wake the man in whose arms he had spent the long night. His body ached fiercely from their repeated joinings, and still, if the man he laid sprawled across only smiled, he would throw himself against Aizen Sousuke's strength repeatedly until neither could move anymore.

He felt pathetic for indulging to such excess, but he was all too aware that after they said their goodbyes on this day, Aizen Sousuke would nearly disappear from his life again. He would have liked to forget, as well, that in only a few days, he would be returning home…without Aizen Sousuke and without Amaya. Their little family was breaking apart before his eyes and he could hardly bear the pain of it.

"Are you all right?" Aizen asked quietly, startling the noble out of his thoughts.

He sank into Aizen's arms, tears rising in his eyes, and his face pale and drawn.

"I will be," he assured his lover, blinking away the moisture.

He felt a hot flush on his face as Aizen studied his devastated expression and lowered his eyes.

"I am sorry. If I could change this…"

"We have said all that there is to say," Byakuya said with forced calm, "We will both endure the best we can…and we will see each other."

"And we will come together to visit our daughter," added Aizen sadly.

The fifth division taichou offered him a slow, lingering kiss, then slid out of bed and began to dress. Byakuya sat quietly with his back against his pillows, trying not to think about what was going to happen. But the soft swish of Aizen's clothing as he dressed, and the man's veiled glances, along with the soft sounds of Amaya's happy babbling in the next room, brought the weight of what was happening back down on him.

_This is my punishment for stepping outside of the boundaries…for falling under the spell of a man I can never have. It should tell me something that he chooses something else over Amaya and me, that he forces us apart, when, with a word, he could make all of this disappear and we could be a family again. But it isn't as though he wasn't honest with me from the beginning. He explained to me that home and family were not things that he could be a part of._

_I would regret my sudden pregnancy, but looking at our beautiful girl, our Amaya, I could never regret her coming into our lives, even though it carries such a weight with it. But why can't that be enough for Sousuke? What is it that is more important to him than we are?_

He felt tears on his face and turned his head quickly to hide them, raising a hand to brush them away. But he only found his slender hand caught in a stronger one, as Aizen's weight settled on the bed and he turned the noble and kissed away the tears.

"I am sorry," he said softly, "I know this is…ridiculous behavior. I should be able to…"

"What?" said Aizen, "Easily walk away from everything that is meaningful to you? Byakuya, remember, I _know _you in a way that no one else does. I know everything you are feeling, and I feel it all as deeply. That you have a bit less control is not a failure. You have high spirits, and you know that it will be a few more months before your reiatsu and body have settled completely following your pregnancy. You will be more emotional sometimes, but it will ease and you will be more like yourself again."

Byakuya sighed and nodded wordlessly. He folded himself into the older man's arms, surrendering to a numbing storm of deep, penetrating kisses. Tears rose into his eyes again, but he chose not to fight them. He let them run in streams down his face as Aizen's body trapped his and kissed him until he couldn't feel the ache anymore. He could only feel that incredible warmth and power that was Aizen Sousuke. He held onto it for as long as possible, then quietly released his lover, waiting until after the other man had left and he was alone with Amaya to surrender to his grief.

It should have been humiliating…to break down into hard, choking sobs, to hold himself, because there was no one left to hold him. He forgot the pride that was so much a part of him…ignored the rules…his training…his place. He was just another broken-hearted lover, who had chosen the wrong person to love.

But then, he realized, rubbing his eyes and sitting up, it wasn't as though loving Aizen Sousuke had ever been an actual choice. The man was a dangerous obsession, a horrid addiction. To take the proud Kuchiki heir and turn him into a crying, sniveling, pathetic child, he had to be a freak of nature.

_But I cannot look at Sousuke that way. I have to stop this…this child's tantrum. I am not a child…and this is the path I have chosen to walk. I have no right to tears…to complaint…to sadness. This was my choice. I have to accept the consequences…quietly._

His eyes went dry then, and the clan's careful training returned to him. He washed his face and dressed, then placed Amaya in a front pack and left the house. Sighing softly and kissing the top of her head, he breathed in her lovely scent and felt his heart strengthen.

_I will be happy for the little things…the tender words and stolen moments that are all we have now. This is the last time I will look into her eyes as her father. From now on, I haven't the right. A true father would never have placed her in the middle of this. He would have made her in an honorable way…with someone who…_

He couldn't finish the thought. It was too heartbreaking to think of how much he had invested in his relationship with Sousuke, and to consider that perhaps the man just didn't love him enough.

_It is tempting to think that way…to think that maybe he just doesn't want me for anything more than a plaything. But I look into his eyes. I see into his heart…and I know better than that. It is that…voice…that presence. It infects him. And I don't know why, but he lets it keep happening. He chooses…that…over us._

_Why?_

He sighed in resignation and walked on.

"You look paler than usual, Kuchiki Byakuya," said Gin's voice, startling him.

Byakuya whirled, and found himself facing the man. A sick, angry feeling passed through him just seeing the man.

_"And what about you, Sousuke?" he asked solemnly, "You have said more than once that you could not be with another because thoughts of me interfered. I assume that means that you have not been alone in your bed all of this time. If you demand this of me, then it must be mutual."_

_Aizen smiled and nodded, licking Byakuya's lips and kissing him indulgently._

_"Of course," he agreed, "From this moment on, there will never be another. I swear it. I was only with Gin to try to forget you. And it failed miserably."_

_Byakuya's eyes took on a decidedly aggressive shine._

_"I begin to understand why you are insistent in having me to yourself," he admitted, anger invading his voice, "because I hate the very thought of that snake touching you! Please tell me that you never allowed him to…"_

_"No," Aizen assured him, kissing away the words, "Only you will ever have that honor. No one has ever enslaved my heart like you have…Kuchiki Byakuya."_

"Why are you here?" he asked shortly.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right…you know…after he walked away from you so coldly, and you dissolved into tears, like a child."

"Get out of my way!" Byakuya snapped.

"I just want to warn you," Gin went on, "You are never going to get your 'happy ending.' Or…is that why you were crying so piteously? Because you know that he doesn't love you?"

"I told you to get out of my way!"

"I watched you. I watched you a lot. I never saw two people so wrong for each other fuck with such intensity…"

Byakuya tried to move, to flash step away, but as he had spoken, Gin's slitted eyes had opened and transfixed him.

"It must be difficult to let go of that…knowing that instead fucking you, Sousuke will be fucking me tonight. Or…maybe he'll hold out until tomorrow…but sooner or later, he is going to get horny and he'll need that itch scratched. We _all_ do, you know…even stuffy, 'better that thou' nobles Byakuya. And that's all that there ever was between you, just dirty, primal, animal behavior. You think it's a mystery, why he wants you? Why you want him back? When you fuck, the two of you really let go. You give everything."

He felt a chill inside at the sadness in the silver-haired shinigami's voice.

"You think that it's because it's him and you that it's special? Well, let me disillusion you. Why don't we just go back into that house…you and me…and I'll show you that it can happen with anyone. And…as soon as Sousuke realizes that, he will be over you. It's what you fear, isn't it? And you should."

"Get out of my way, or I will kill you!" Byakuya hissed.

He moved past Gin in a sudden, blistering flash step and continued to move at top speed, fury flooding his mind and blinding him to everything but making his body move. He slowed as he reached the quiet valley, where Tetsuya lived. Carefully masking his reiatsu, he entered the valley, and was taken by surprise at seeing Michio entering the small cabin just ahead of him. He flash stepped quickly to the door, where he was met by an anxious Haru, who was holding Naoki in his arms.

"Tetsuya?" Byakuya asked, nervously.

"No…no, Tetsuya is fine," Haru assured him, "He has only gone to town for some supplies. It is Hisana who has fallen ill."

"Hisana…" Byakuya repeated worriedly, following Haru down the hallway to where Michio leaned over the sick woman.

"Hisana," Byakuya said, sitting down on the bed next to her.

The flush on her skin and the fevered look in her eyes were unnerving enough, but the way it sounded when she coughed was frightening.

"Byakuya-sama?" she said weakly, "You have come back?"

"Yes," he said softly.

He turned to Michio, giving the healer a questioning look.

"Oh, she'll be all right," the old man said reassuringly, though the look he gave Byakuya out of the corner of his eye gave him chills, "She just needs rest, fluids, and more of Haru's fabulous cooking."

"Oh…I don't know that it's all that great," Haru said, blushing, "Though, I've never Tetsuya complain."

"That soup you made last time I was here was delicious," Michio said.

"I was just about to put on a pot of it," Haru said, smiling, "If you'd like to stay for dinner…"

"I would love to," Michio replied, chuckling, "Noa has a bit of competition in you, young man."

Michio glanced at Byakuya and then looked at Amaya.

"She looks healthy and active," he commented, "Would you like me to look her over?"

"That would be splendid," said Byakuya, "She eats well and seems happy and active enough, but I was hoping you would have a quick look at her."

"Okay," said the healer, accepting the baby girl from Byakuya's arms, "I'll go and examine her in the next room while you catch up with Hisana for a bit. Then, come on out and we can talk about your daughter."

Byakuya nodded and kissed Amaya on a sticky cheek, smiling as he watched Michio carry her out of the room. He turned back to Hisana, his eyes growing concerned again.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, not knowing quite what to say.

"Oh, I am all right," she said, blinking, "I just have some trouble staying warm. But Haru makes soup and tea for me, and your cousin is good company. I was very thankful to him for staying with me the night of the storm. He is a very kind man, Byakuya-sama. I do not understand why anyone would treat him badly."

"That is why he is here," Byakuya said, smiling gently, "He is here so that he has the freedom and love he deserve. We all need that."

"We do," Hisana agreed.

They continued to speak quietly until Haru brought Hisana's dinner, then Byakuya kissed her on the cheek and left the bedroom to join Michio and the two children in the front room with a recently returned Tetsuya. As soon as he was out of Hisana's hearing, he dropped all pretense.

"Michio-san," he said worriedly, "What is really going on with Hisana's health? She spoke as if she had been ill off and on for some time."

Michio sighed.

"She has," he admitted.

"It began the night of the storm," Tetsuya said, "I did try to keep her warm and dry, but she already soaked through when I found her…and we were there most of the night. The next day, she fell ill, so she remained at Michio's house for a time. Then, she seemed to get better and I brought her back to the cabin. She was fine for a week or so, but then she fell ill again. This time, it has lasted longer, and was more severe."

"I am afraid that her life in Inuzuri has begun to catch up with her," Michio said, shaking his head, "She hasn't the constitution for such a life. Sometimes, I'm not sure what keeps her going."

"She is that ill?" Byakuya asked, his concern growing, "What can be done?"

Michio shook his head.

"It's hard to say, at this point. She may come out of this and be fine for a long time…or she may fall into more bouts like this. She needs a warm environment, good food, access to an accomplished healer. If I could, I would send her to the Seireitei. Because if she is going to ever recover and live a normal life, she needs to get out of here. Everything about the Rukongai wears on her."

Byakuya sighed and lowered his eyes.

"Then…I will simply have to take her back with me."

"Byakuya?" Tetsuya said, frowning uncertainly, "How will you do that? You were about to be married to Eri. I mean, I know that may not happen, now that you have been missing for so long, but it still could…and even if it doesn't, it will look odd for you to come back with a woman of the Rukongai in tow."

"She won't be 'in tow," Byakuya said quietly, "She needs more than that…and I owe her for taking care of me, when I was injured and lost. I will not abandon her now."

"Well," said Michio, "She is going to need some time to heal from this. I suggest you wait on any big decisions until things are more clear."

"I agree. That is best," said Tetsuya, nodding.

"I feel the same," Byakuya agreed.

They fell quiet, Byakuya and Tetsuya holding the children close and taking turns telling stories. Byakuya felt a deep warmth in his heart, looking at his cousin and seeing him so happy. And his certainty that Tetsuya was happy only intensified when Haru entered the room and joined them. He had never seen Tetsuya smile so much or look so content. He had had such sad, blue eyes before. But love had found Kuchiki Tetsuya and had changed everything for him.

_I wonder if it will ever be like that for me?_


	18. A Lesson in Control

**Chapter 18: A Lesson in Control**

**(My apologies to anyone who was confused by the lack of italics where the hougyoku was speaking and during the vision Aizen saw. I have a new computer and am still adjusting to it, so it's a little quirky. Anyway, enjoy the chapter...and please don't forget to review! Love Spunky)**

_Aizen Sousuke,_ said the soft, whispery voice of the hougyoku, _I have been waiting for you._

Aizen sealed the door behind him and knelt at the low table where the hougyoku rested. He gazed into its glittering facets, waiting calmly as its reiatsu glowed softly and extended out of the crystal housing, seeking his and carefully connecting with it. He could feel the strength of the spirit's discontent as it made itself one with him and explored his memories of the time he had spent with Byakuya.

_You are conflicted._

"How could I not be?" asked Aizen, "After all, I am very much in love with Byakuya…and we have a child now."

He gazed at the crystal meaningfully.

"You and I both know who is responsible for that."

_What do you mean?_

"Do not play games with me," said Aizen quietly, "I know that you threatened Byakuya, that you are the reason that he became pregnant, though I think your aim in that was to see him die in childbirth. I must compliment you on the attempt. It nearly succeeded. However, you underestimated the connection that I made with him and our daughter. They are important to me. And from this point on, you must consider that in our interactions."

_Yes, I see that. And I will amend my plans accordingly. But I have a question. At what point are you going to tell him that you are preparing to overthrow the king and end the dominance of Central 46 and the noble houses?_

"Do not get any ideas about letting that information reach him. You want to talk about interfering with our plans? _That_ would, most likely, bring an end to them!"

_I am aware of our exact position. But I often wonder if you are. Sousuke, you cannot think that Kuchiki Byakuya, the future leader of the strongest of the noble clans is going to take well to the news that his lover, and the father of the Kuchiki heir is out to end the monarchy that rules the three worlds. Have you given any thought to how you will explain it to him…or perhaps, when? Will you simply wait until you are king, then hope he will listen to you?_

"I suggest that you leave that to me and cease meddling in my life, where you do not belong. Remember that I created you. And because I created you, I can also destroy you. So if you have any thoughts about turning on me…"

A soft, arrogant laugh issued from the stone in front of him. Aizen frowned and his eyes darkened dangerously.

"What are you about?" he asked in a low voice, "You don't think now that you can overcome me?"

_You fool. Don't you realize? I have been manipulating you all along! Do you really think that killing the king was your idea? Let me inform you. It wasn't. Remember, Aizen Sousuke, who I am. I am the voice of the abandoned hopes of humanity…the things prayed for that were never granted, the desperate hopes of the lost…the ones he ignored, despite their cries for his intervention. You gave us a place to gather, yes, and because of our gratitude, we allowed you to join us in our quest. And when it is done, we will share the power to grant all dreams, ambitions, hopes and desperate desires. You want to be a part of that, ne?"_

Aizen's eyes flared and his reiatsu rose around him. To his surprise, the reiatsu of the hougyoku remained calm.

"You speak as though you are more powerful than me, as though you control me. Let _me_ inform _you_, no one controls me!"

_You think not? Well, think again, foolish shinigami. I want you to think back, Aizen Sousuke…to the time when I asked you to grant me the ability to connect with your zanpakutou. Do you remember?_

"Of course I do," Aizen answered, his eyes glinting dangerously, "You said that you needed access to be able to complete our mission, and I granted it. But I can also take it away at any time."

_Can you?_

_Can you really?_

_Why don't you call his name?_

_Why don't you see who is really Kyouka Suigetsu's master?_

_Or better yet, I will show you…_

_Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu!_

Aizen froze as light flashed ominously around his body, and the hougyoku suddenly disappeared from the table in front of him and reappeared, embedded deeply in his chest. He frowned and shook his head.

"What are you doing? Why show me this illusion?" he asked, touching the crystal.

_Illusion? I am not showing you an illusion, Aizen Sousuke. Just now, when I commanded your zanpakutou? I wasn't making an illusion. I was shattering one!_

"Damn you! How long have you been…?"

_Long enough. Long enough to take control. Long enough to master your zanpakutou. Long enough to see that although you have the power to win, you do not have the heart to complete our plans. So, I used your own zanpakutou to subdue you._

"Kyouka Suigetsu would never abandon me!"

_No? Perhaps not. But…faced with the decision to allow this or to lose you in the end and die, he chose to cooperate…to protect you. You may not see it yet, but this is the only way you will survive. You may not like this, but the only other option was for us to destroy you and possess your emptied body. We could have done so at any time. We are stronger than you think. And we have waited too long to find a shinigami strong enough to kill the king!_

Aizen felt an odd pain rising in his chest, where the hougyoku had implanted itself.

_Now, witness our full power, and realize that you have no way to stop us anymore!_

Power exploded around Aizen's body and the shinigami howled in fury, trying to regain control.

_Do not fight us. Hold for a moment. Why don't you first look at what we did last night before you take any rash action?_

Aizen froze, staring as the images rose up in his mind.

_The cabin door exploded inward, shocking the shinigamis within into wakefulness, and making the two infants within the household begin to cry hysterically. Aizen stepped past the ruined door and crossed the entryway and living area, firing blasts of kido at the two shinigamis who appeared first to try to stop him. The two were thrown back against the wall, and collapsed onto the floor as Aizen walked past, turning towards one of the bedrooms. He ignored the screams of the infant boy the two fallen shinigamis had been protecting, and shattered the door to the bedroom where he sensed Byakuya. As the smoke and dust cleared, he spotted Hisana, kneeling on the bed, holding Amaya. Byakuya stood protectively in front of them, his dark eyes going wide with shock at seeing who it was that was attacking them._

_"Sousuke!" he gasped, "What are you doing?"_

_Aizen's eyes flashed and sparked with an odd glow, and slowly comprehension flooded the noble's face._

_"It has taken control? Sousuke, you must fight it! Do not let it control you! Sousuke!"_

_He looked into Byakuya's eyes._

_"That man does not exist anymore," he said._

_"Damn you!" cried Byakuya, "That isn't true! Sousuke! Sousuke, fight this…this monstrosity! Sousuke!"_

_"He cannot hear you," said Aizen, moving closer, "You can do nothing, insignificant shinigami. I am in control now, and from this moment on, you will cease to be a factor. Because, if you interfere in any way with my plans, I will kill her."_

_Aizen's eyes bored down into Byakuya's._

_"I am taking your daughter with me."_

_"No!" cried Byakuya, sending a heavy blast of kido at him, then backing away, "Don't come near her!"_

_Surprise and anguish flooded the young noble's face as a kido blast struck him, driving him back against the wall, and a second spell sent golden ropes snaking around his body to hold him tightly in place. Hisana screamed and backed away, kneeling on the floor behind Byakuya's restrained body._

_"Stop! Sousuke, Sousuke, don't!" Byakuya cried, shattering the kido ropes and taking hold of his arms._

_Aizen placed a hand on Byakuya's breast, over his heart._

_"You deserve to die. But we will not kill you. And we will not kill her. She will be placed in a time stopped dimensional cell. She will not be harmed in any way. However…the only way that you will ever free her, is for you to say nothing of what you know. Be quiet, noble heir, and stay quiet…or you will never see your daughter again. And…be aware. Once we leave this place, only one person will remember her. That person is you. If you try to tell anyone what has been done, no one will believe you. So go back to your manor. Fulfill your destiny as heir…and do not ever dare to approach Aizen Sousuke again…until he comes for you._

_Power erupted from the hand touching the noble's chest. Byakuya screamed and collapsed, then Aizen slowly backed Hisana into the corner of the room. Aizen glared down into her shocked, violet eyes._

_"I won't let you get away with this!" she cried, "Amaya is his daughter. Leave her alone!"_

_Aizen's touch stunned her, so that she could not move as he took the baby from her arms._

_Tears flowed onto Hisana's face as Aizen left the room, carrying Amaya._

_"I won't forget you!" she promised, "Whatever he does, I won't forget!"_

_A moment later, she fell to the floor and lost consciousness._

"Damn you!" Aizen hissed, his hands clenching, "I won't let you do this!"

_You don't have a choice anymore. She is hidden. She will remain hidden until we are made king. You are not to speak of her to anyone. And when Byakuya approaches you, you must never admit that you know…if you want to see your daughter again. But once we complete our plans and are king, you and Byakuya will have your daughter back. Do you understand, Sousuke?_

Aizen let out a harsh, wounded breath and said nothing, but his heart ached painfully inside him.

_I will find a way to destroy you._

_You will not get away with this._

_Amaya…Byakuya…_

_I will find a way._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Byakuya-sama?" called a soft, feminine voice, "Byakuya-sama, are you all right?"

Byakuya's eyes opened and squinted, slowly bringing Hisana's worried face into focus. He inhaled sharply and sat up.

"Amaya!" he gasped, looking around, "Amaya…you had her. Where is she, Hisana?"

The violet-eyed woman looked back at him with even more concern.

"Amaya?" she repeated, frowning, "What are you talking about? Who is Amaya?"

"No…" Byakuya gasped, dragging himself to his feet, "Amaya!"

He ran out into the hallway, and slid to a stop as Tetsuya appeared in front of him and took hold of his arms.

"Cousin," he said worriedly, "Are you all right?"

"Amaya!" Byakuya cried, "He took Amaya!"

Tetsuya looked back at him, wide-eyed.

"Byakuya-sama, what are you talking about? Amaya?"

"My daughter!" Byakuya insisted, "Tetsuya, she was here! I brought her back here a few days ago. You saw her!"

Tetsuya gazed back at him blankly. Byakuya grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Tetsuya, I was pregnant when I arrived here. Don't you remember? I gave birth the night of the storm! Kami, please tell me you remember!"

Byakuya stared in dismay at his cousin's downcast eyes, then at Haru, who stood behind Tetsuya, holding Naoki against his chest.

"Byakuya-sama, you must have been injured," said Tetsuya, reaching out to touch his face gently, "There was no storm. You have just been here with us for a while now, waiting for Hisana to regain her strength so that you could return home."

Byakuya pulled free of his cousin and backed away a step.

"Byakuya-sama," said Hisana, "Please come back and lie down. You've been injured. You must rest."

Byakuya turned and met her frightened eyes.

It is true, then. They don't remember her at all!

He started to flash step to the front door, but his spirit centers twinged painfully inside him, and he found that his reiatsu was abnormally weak. His head spun dangerously and he felt his legs giving way.

I've been drained…but…how? S-sousuke? But no. Something else was in control. I heard that voice from before. What is that thing? Sousuke…

Tetsuya caught him and brought him carefully to rest on the floor. He leaned over his cousin, watching with concern as Byakuya's eyes closed.

"Is he all right?" asked Haru, patting Naoki gently to soothe the crying infant

"Yes," said Tetsuya, "I think so. But he may have a concussion. He wasn't making sense before."

"Who is Amaya?" asked Haru.

Tetsuya shook his head briefly.

"I don't know. I don't know anyone by that name. He said it was his daughter, but...he has no daughter."

He turned and looked at Hisana and Haru.

"Neither of you know who he was talking about, ne?" he asked.

"No," said Haru.

"I don't remember him ever mentioning her before," said Hisana, "Perhaps it is as you said and he has a concussion."

Haru handed Naoki to Hisana and joined Tetsuya at Byakuya's side.

"Come then, let's get him back into bed."

The two men lifted Byakuya carefully and carried him back into the bedroom. They laid him on the bed and Hisana settled at his side.

"I will make some tea for all of us," said Haru, "Hisana, why don't you lie down with him. You look a bit pale."

Tetsuya looked around at the damage to the cabin.

"And I will get started, cleaning up."

He sighed softly and frowned.

"Did any of you get a look at that thing?" he asked.

Haru and Hisana shook their heads.

"It moved too quickly," said Haru, "I couldn't even tell if it was man or beast."

"I wonder why it came..." Tetsuya mused, "Nothing seems to be missing. And although it swept us aside, it didn't really harm any of us."

He paused as Arashi's panicked neigh sounded from somewhere outside. Tetsuya flash stepped out of the house and looked around in the darkness. He spotted the stallion lying on the ground, his dainty legs entangled with kido ropes. Tetsuya quickly shattered them and watched as the stallion regained his feet. He studied Arashi quietly in the early morning darkness.

"Swept aside," he whispered, "But why?"

He patted the calming horse gently, then returned to the house and walked back to the bedroom, where Hisana rested, curled into Byakuya's arms.

"How is he doing?" Tetsuya asked.

"He is sleeping now," Hisana said quietly, "He was very distraught, but he seems to have regained his senses."

"We'll let him rest then," said Tetsuya, "I will be making the repairs. If you see, hear or sense anything out of the ordinary, I want you to call for me at once. I don't know who or what attacked us, but if it comes back, we'll need to be ready."

XXXXXXXXXX

Gin sat quietly at his desk, looking over a report and making several notations. He reached the bottom of the page and initialed it, then stood and carried it to Aizen's desk, where he placed it in the inbox. He let out a soft sigh and started back across the room, but stopped as Aizen stepped out of his quarters and walked towards the silver-haired shinigami.

"Gin," he said softly, smiling and extending a hand in his direction.

Gin shook his head firmly.

"I will not compete with Byakuya for your affections anymore, Sousuke," he said, frowning, "I do not want to spend the rest of my life wondering if it is really you I'm with or if it is just an illusion."

"You have nothing more to worry about," Aizen said, blinking slowly, "I am not seeing Byakuya anymore."

Gin frowned.

"What about your daughter?" he asked softly as Aizen came to a stop in front of him.

Aizen's eyes gazed deeply into his, and Gin's heart froze.

"What daughter?" Aizen asked.

The next thing Gin knew, a shock of power erupted through his shocked body and he collapsed into Aizen's waiting arms.


	19. Jealousy

**Chapter 19: Jealousy**

Byakuya stood beneath the large tree in back of Tetsuya's cabin, absently patting Arashi's neck as the stallion gently nuzzled him and whickered softly. His mind played over everything he remembered, and he wondered how everyone around him could remember things so differently than he did.

_No one remembers her. No one but me. And my understanding is that...Sousuke won't either. Or...perhaps he will, but he is so overcome by whatever was controlling him, that he won't be able to tell me._

_Amaya...I know you were real._

He thought back to the night of the storm.

"_Stay with me, Byakuya."_

"_I am…w-with you, Sousuke."_

"_Good…here comes our baby!"_

_He sent his reiatsu into Byakuya's abdomen, slowly letting it wrap around the reiatsu cluster inside him. Gradually, so slowly, it barely seemed to register, he applied gentle pressure, bringing the reiatsu cluster up and then out of Byakuya's softly shaking body. When fully removed, it fit into his open hands. He brought the cluster to rest in his lap and kept his own reiatsu wrapped protectively around it as it pulsed softly and began to solidify. Byakuya turned his head and watched with glazed, fevered eyes as the soft, pale pink skin appeared, as a pair of dark gray eyes formed and peered up at Aizen's face. Aizen's face shone as his eyes found tiny fingers and toes, pretty, pink lips and surprisingly thick brown hair. He waited until the protective fog around the child cleared, then smiled down at the baby and wrapped it in the warm folds of the cloak he had wrapped around Byakuya. He set the gurgling bundle in Byakuya's arms and laid down next to them, speaking quietly into the noble's ear._

"_We have a daughter, Byakuya. We have a beautiful baby girl. Look at how lovely she is."_

_Byakuya stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked several times, slowly bringing the baby girl's face into focus._

"_A baby girl?" he whispered, "S-sousuke, she is…she has…"_

"_Your eyes," Aizen breathed, "my brown hair…small fingers and toes like yours. She is perfect, Byakuya."_

_He saw sudden tears form in the noble's eyes and brushed them away._

"_Come now, the worst is over. Rest now, you have had a difficult time."_

"_Don't…t-take her away. I'm…sorry I left and ran from you. Be angry with m-me if you must, Sousuke, but…but don't take her away, please don't take her away."_

_Aizen's fingers sank into his hair and he kissed the noble's damp forehead gently._

"_Why are you so overwrought, Byakuya?" he asked softly, "You worried that I would kill the two of you…and you worry now that I will take her away from you? I need you to tell me why you are so fearful of me. What have I done to make you think I would do such monstrous things?"_

"This is why," the noble whispered, tears rising in his eyes, "This is what I feared. I thought that the enemy was outside of us, but it is inside you now. This has to be why you warned me that we could not be married or have children. You knew this could happen and you tried to tell me. But I loved you too much to listen. And I love you and our daughter too much to let go of you now. Somehow...Some way, I will reach you and Amaya again. For now, there is nothing I can do. But I will keep my eyes and ears open. I will learn what I can. And when the time comes, we will be together again."

"Byakuya-sama?" said Hisana, from somewhere behind him, "The minister has arrived and is waiting inside."

"Very well," said the noble, "I just need a moment."

Hisana moved closer, wrapping her arms around herself as she studied him closely.

"Byakuya-sama, I told you before, we do not have to do this. I can remain here with Tetsuya and Haru. There is no need for you to break the rules of your clan and marry me."

Byakuya shook his head gently.

"You must understand," he said quietly, "It is not simply that I wish to protect you, but you are protecting me as well."

"How?" the violet-eyed woman asked, "You aren't any more in love with me than you would be with Princess Eri. Why...?"

"I would have to leave you behind," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "I cannot bear to do that, knowing you need treatment that you can only get in the Seireitei. This way, you will receive the best possible treatment for your condition and I will have peace of mind that I am not denying Eri a chance to find love. You and I know and accept things as they are."

Hisana smiled at him sadly.

"But don't you also deserve that chance, Byakuya-sama?" she asked, touching his arm.

Byakuya enfolded her gently in his arms and rested the side of his face on the top of her head.

"I already found love," he whispered, "And it ended in disaster. This is all that's left for me. I will do my best to make you happy."

Hisana lifted her head and kissed him on the cheek.

"And I will pray that someday you will find love again, Byakuya-sama."

"Come," Byakuya said quietly, "Let us not keep the minister waiting."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ginrei sat quietly in his chair, staring blankly at the papers in front of him, trying not to think about the still empty desk and chair across the room from his. Two ghosts now radiated around that place...the late Soujun's, and now Byakuya's.

_There is nothing...no one now to carry on my legacy._

There were, of course, a few other choices for the position of 'heir.' But none of them were his own direct children or grandchildren. Soujun would not have been powerful enough, even if he had lived. And now Byakuya was gone. He had a daughter, of course. But afflicted with the fallout of her disastrous relationship with Kouga, she had never remarried, and had remained childless. His only choices now were distant cousins among the subfamilies. And none even came close to showing the promise that Byakuya had. He sighed sadly and rubbed his hands over his face. He looked up again as the door to the sixth division opened, then came to his feet involuntarily as Byakuya walked into the room and froze, staring at him.

"Grandfather..." he breathed.

"Byakuya...?" Ginrei said uncertainly, stepping forward and touching a hand to his grandson's face, "You are alive."

"I am," Byakuya said softly, "I am sorry that I worried you. I was...badly injured. And it took me a long time to recover to the point where I could return to you."

Ginrei shook his head in disbelief, stubbornly fending off his tears.

"Why didn't you send a message...tell someone?" he asked, placing a second hand on Byakuya face and staring deeply into his gray eyes, as though not able to believe what he was seeing.

"I...was incapacitated for a time, but someone found me and cared for me until I regained my senses, and could return."

He saw then, the violet-eyed women who stood shyly at Byakuya's side.

"This is Hisana," Byakuya said, slipping an arm around her shoulders, "Hisana is my wife."

"Your..._wife_?" Ginrei repeated, frowning, "Byakuya, you know that all clan heirs and leaders must have council approval for marriage."

"Then, I will have to convince them to accept this," Byakuya said firmly, "I would have died, if not for this woman. She pulled me out the river in the Rukongai and she remained at my side until I was well."

"But you are betrothed to Princess Eri..."

"I am married to Hisana, and because I owe her my life, I must insist that our marriage be accepted. I apologize for disappointing you, Grandfather. I am sorry."

Ginrei's eyes softened and he let out a long breath, and pulled Byakuya close.

"Let us not worry about the particulars, for now," he said calmly, "I am relieved that you have come home to us. And for now, that is enough of a blessing. We will work through the rest."

XXXXXXXXXX

Gin woke to find himself alone in Aizen Sousuke's bed...naked and bearing the sticky remains of what he sensed must have been some rather spirited lovemaking...or at least some very randy sex. His muddied mind refused to allow him to remember how it was that he had been seduced, or what exactly, their lovemaking had entailed. He was sure he remembered being angry about something...but what it was refused to come back to him. He tried to think about who it might have involved, but could think of no one.

"Good morning," Aizen said, stepping into the room carrying two cups of green tea, "You look as though you slept well."

"Apparently I did," he answered, "although I can't for the life of me remember how you got me in bed. I thought I was angry with you."

"Oh?" said Aizen, raising an eyebrow, "Were you? You didn't seem any too angry to me. To the contrary, you were extremely alluring...so much so that I couldn't help but _help myself_. My apologies if I came on too strong. I did heal the damage afterwards."

"Ah," said Gin, his confusion increasing, "No harm done."

He flashed his taichou a quick smile.

"No permanent harm, anyway," he added.

"Good," said Aizen, "Then let's have some tea and a walk in the fresh air. I am feeling particularly invigorated this morning."

"Very well," said Gin, "but I'll need to shower and dress first. I'm afraid our exertions last night made quite a mess of me."

"Go ahead," Aizen said, indicating his shower, "I have a few things to do anyway."

Gin exited the bed and stumbled off to the shower, his head still spinning oddly. Aizen sipped quietly at his tea and watched the silver-haired man walk into the bathroom, then left his quarters and walked out into the division office. He sat down at his desk and began to sift through a stack of reports. He looked up as a hell butterfly entered the room. It paused in front of him, fluttering its wings oddly, as though undecided.

"Well?" he said, frowning, "Out with it."

"This is a notification to all squads to inform you of the return of Kuchiki Byakuya to the sixth division," said Soutaichou's voice, "Kuchiki fukutaichou, as you know, was reported missing some time ago, but appears to have been recovering from a serious injury and was incapacitated to the point of not being able to make his fate known to us until now. He will be returning to full duties after a short respite."

"Hmmm," muttered Aizen.

He continued to work quietly until a freshly showered and dressed Gin entered the room and sat down next to his desk. The fifth division taichou indulged him in a slow, penetrating kiss, then started to rise.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Gin asked.

"Hmmm, not really," Aizen answered, "Ah, except your colleague from the sixth, Kuchiki fukutaichou returned alive after being missing for a time."

"Kuchiki Byakuya," said Gin, looking surprised and pleased, "Oh, I had so missed teasing him."

"Really," said Aizen, "I don't know why."

"I love the way he seethes so hotly beneath the surface," said Gin, "It's fun to see how much he wants to lose his cool, but then he has to remain all proper. A fun game..."

"I see. Well, enjoy it then, but after our walk."

The two left the fifth division and walked in the direction of a large park that was a few blocks away. A half-block from the park, they passed two Kuchiki relatives, whose heads were bent in intense conversation.

"Did you hear?" one said to the other, "He just waltzed into Ginrei-sama's division as if nothing was wrong and calmly announced he had married some Rukon rat."

"What?"

"It's true! He insisted that she had saved his life and taken care of him, so he owes her a life debt!"

"A life debt!" repeated the second, "How did the council respond?"

"How could they? The rules are clear. They had to honor the life debt and allow the marriage to be confirmed at Kuchiki Manor. The consummation ceremony is tonight."

"Eri's family must be incensed!"

"Sousuke?" said Gin uncertainly, "Are you all right? Why did you stop walking?"

Aizen remained still for a long moment, his eyes oddly furious and his body tensed.

"Sousuke," Gin said again, waving a hand in front of his face.

Aizen blinked several times and seemed to recover himself.

"What was that all about?" asked Gin, frowning, "I was about to send for squad four."

"It is nothing," said Aizen calmly, "I am fine."

The two continued to walk towards the park, then passed through it, pausing beside the lake at the center to relax on the shore and share a few discrete kisses.

"You really spooked me for a moment there," Gin said in a more casual tone, "I wondered if you'd had a seizure or something. I hope it was nothing we did last night that set you off..."

"No," Aizen assured him, "It was just a moment of distraction. Likely the upcoming mission. Speaking of which, we had best get back to our division and begin preparations."

"Right," said Gin, turning away from the lake.

Aizen whispered a command to his zanpakutou and sent an illusory copy of himself along with Gin, then turned towards Kuchiki Manor.

_Reckless fool! _hissed the hogyoku in the brown-eyed taichou's struggling mind.

"You may have taken our daughter, but you do not control everything," Aizen said softly, "I intend to find out if what I just heard about Byakuya is true!"

_And what if it is? You encouraged him to marry that princess. Why is this any different?_

"He was to marry her because he _had_ to. And he was only going to sleep with her on their wedding night!" Aizen fumed, "Now, he marries this trollop from the Rukongai who he was sleeping next to in his cousin's house? Was he lying to me about her? Was he really in love with _her_ all along?"

_Why does that matter? I would say that you lost all right to say who he sleeps with when you...or rather...I took your daughter from him!_

"I took our agreement to mean that Byakuya and I would get our daughter and our lives back once the king was dead and I was crowned. What point is there in getting him back if he has moved on to someone else? I am not letting this go."

He flash stepped away from the park and on to Kuchiki Manor, passing through the entry doors unseen by the housekeeper and taking position in the gardens near where the confirmation of marriage was taking place. He watched with glinting eyes as Byakuya and Hisana took their vows before the Kuchiki council of elders, then observed from nearby as the noble's new wife was formally accepted into the family. He waited through the long afternoon, listening to everything said for any hint of how real Byakuya's marriage might be. But even as evening arrived, he was still uncertain.

He stepped onto the walkway behind the two and followed them into the noble's room, where they undressed separately, then walked to the bed and stood beside it for a moment. He meant to simply watch, to watch his former love betray him right before his own eyes, but before Byakuya could give any indication of his intent, Aizen's fury got the better of him and he invoked his power.

He took Byakuya down quietly from behind and left an illusion of him standing next to Hisana. He carried the noble out of the room, across the gardens and out to the sakura grove above the waterfall, where Amaya had been conceived. Sitting down on the grass beneath one of the trees, he cradled the noble's upper body in his lap and gazed down at his troubled face, trying to decide what to say when he woke him.

_I thought you were angry with him..._said the hougyoku, _That would suggest that talking might not make the proper impression. Perhaps you should remind him of just what he is leaving behind...put him back in touch with the lusty man he fell in love with._

"What are you saying? You would rather we never saw each other again. Why are you suddenly offering advice?

The hougyoku emitted a soft, wicked laugh.

_You are right that I wish you two would separate for good. But seeing as that is not likely to happen, I will settle for indulging your little fetish in whatever way amuses me the most. And I have an idea of how to impress upon your lover just how poor an idea it is to make Aizen Sousuke jealous.._

Aizen's eyes glinted dangerously.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" he asked quietly_._


	20. The Punishment

**Chapter 20: The Punishment**

**(Warning, this is an angsty chapter and some things are left unresolved at the end. There will be a couple of time skips in the next few chapters (If there weren't, this story would top 100 chapters!). The good news is that there will be a steamy reunion in the next chapter, so let that carry you through the necessary angst. I will do my best to get the next chapter in order quickly! Thanks so much for waiting so patiently...especially Sariniste and Geecee, who have been so encouraging while I struggled with this story's mixture of potential and challenge!)**

Byakuya stirred in his sleep, then caught his breath sharply, pain flashing across his handsome face and a surprised gasp escaping him. Hisana's eyes opened and she sat up next to him, touching her new husband on the shoulder to wake him. Byakuya made another sound of intense discomfort and pulled away from her.

"Byakuya-sama?" Hisana whispered in a frightened voice, "Byakuya-sama, what is wrong?"

"I am fine," he assured her out of reflex.

He climbed out of bed, gritting his teeth as pain rocketed through his body again.

"Can I come with you? Are you sure you are all right?" his wife asked worriedly.

"It is all right," he said, more calmly, as he regained his composure.

He disappeared into the bathroom and closed and locked the door, placing a hand on the counter to steady himself as the pain continued to assault him. He tried to remember the awful dream he knew he had been having, but all he could remember...

_It was that first night that Sousuke came to me...disguised. I opened the door to him and...and something horrid happened. I don't remember. I only remember falling...being in pain...and hearing Amaya crying! Gods, what an awful dream!_

He turned on the water, meaning to wash his face, but stopped and caught his breath at the shock of pain that the motion caused. He looked into the mirror, and his eyes went wide as he spotted something that made him stiffen and stare...an odd bruise on his chest, visible in the 'V' of his yukata. His hands shook softly as they fell to his waist and he pulled the tie on his yukata free.

"Shades!" he hissed softly, staring.

His yukata slid to the floor, and the noble stared in horrified fascination at the wicked scratches and deep bruises that marked him nearly everywhere that had been covered by his nightclothes. He felt an ache between his thighs and found where blood had meandered down the inside of one slender, white thigh.

"What in kami's name...?"

"Byakuya-sama?" Hisana called through the door, "Byakuya-sama, are you all right?"

He closed his eyes and tried again to remember the dream, but could only recall the same pieces as before, and one more frightening bit.

_This is what you deserve for betraying our love by taking that woman into your bed. Each night as you lie down with her, you will come to this place, where you will accept punishment for what you have done. You will tell no one. You know the cost of doing so. Accept your punishment quietly and when we go to the spirit dimension, Amaya will be returned to you._

"Byakuya-sama, please, whatever it is. You can trust me. Let me in!"

Byakuya let out a tremulous breath and tied his yukata closed. He forced down the pain and walked to the door, then opened it and gazed down at Hisana apologetically.

"I am sorry," he said quietly, "I was not feeling well. I suppose that you desire an explanation for this. The truth is..."

"Oh!" cried Hisana, "You do not have to explain your actions to me. I understand that you have been quite distressed ever since that odd morning in the Rukongai."

_What?_

_Does she not see it? The one bruise I cannot hide from her?_

"I meant this," he said, touching the angry black and blue marking on his chest.

Hisana's eyes narrowed as she stared at the place he was indicating on his chest.

"Y-your heart?" she queried softly, "I don't understand."

"You...do not see it?" he whispered, touching the mark again.

Hisana gazed at him, wide-eyed.

"Byakuya-sama, I see nothing there," she said, her voice shaking, "You sound like you did before...when you kept saying that you had had a child! Byakuya-sama, please. You must go to Unohana taichou. She will be able to help you find out why you are having these...these..."

_She doesn't see them._

_She doesn't believe me that they are there!_

_Are they there?_

_Or am I losing my mind?_

"N-no," he said, frowning and looking down at himself again, "Gomen nasai, do not worry. I simply...was still half asleep and suffering the effects of a nightmare. I assure you that I am fine. Do not worry, Hisana."

His wife bit her lip gently and touched the place he had indicated again, then shook her head and embraced him. Byakuya swallowed the pain as her arms encircled him, then kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Come, I would like to walk with you in the gardens."

"Of...of course, Byakuya-sama," Hisana said, looking somewhat relieved, "I am glad that you are all right. I was worried for you."

"You needn't worry about anything but getting well and growing stronger now," Byakuya assured her, "Come, Hisana."

Hisana studied him for a moment longer, something inside her holding on to the shadow of a doubt. But in the end, she forced her fears away and reached for the hand he offered her.

_I don't care about the pain. I will bear it as I must. To see her well again. To hold Amaya in my arms again someday. No amount of pain will drive those things from my heart. And, in any case, I know that this is not you, Sousuke. It is that thing that has overcome you. There is no way to fight it, as of yet. So I will bear what I must and bide my time until there is a way. I will not lose hope, and I will not stop looking for that way. For you. For Amaya...for our family, Sousuke._

_I love you._

XXXXXXXXXX

(six weeks later)

"You look better today," Ginrei commented, as Byakuya took his place at the fukutaichou's desk and picked up a stack of papers, "Marriage seems to be agreeing with you. Well...except for that first night, anyway. You were not yourself for several weeks after that. But you seemed to have regained your bearings now."

"I am fine," Byakuya assured him, "I am content in my marriage, and very grateful to the council and to you for supporting it, despite your initial objections."

"Hisana is a winning creature," Ginrei confessed, "Very charming. But you will have to step carefully now. The elders are watching you closely. You have the strongest powers of any clan member, the strongest our clan has seen in an age. However, they will only see their way clear to name you head of household if you remain on the path. It is troubling that, in addition to marrying a commoner, you and Hisana have not yet made an heir. It is just one more thing that weighs against you."

"I understand," said Byakuya, meeting his grandfather's eyes, "But conceiving a child must wait until Hisana grows stronger."

"She would grow stronger if she was not traveling back to the lower Rukongai nearly every day. I do not know why you allow her to continue going there. As devoted as you are to her recovery, should you not exert some pressure on her to take better care of herself?"

Byakuya let out a soft breath.

"I cannot ask her not to go there. She has her reasons, and they are private. I must respect that."

"But you see how this is holding the clan back from naming you head of household," argued the elder shinigami, "Byakuya, you do not want to allow your place to be taken in our clan by one less suitable. It would not be good for anyone. Now is a time to walk quietly, and within the lines. You know, as I do, that I am likely to be called to the spirit dimension soon. When I am, the clan elders will have to make a decision. I am sure that Hisana understands that if there are still concerns as to your fitness for that place..."

"I understand," Byakuya said softly.

"Then you will attempt to convince her to be more cautious with her health, and you will see to the seeding of the heir?"

Byakuya sighed softly.

"I will do what I can."

The two men turned back to their duties and worked without speaking until well into the afternoon. Finally, Ginrei rose and stretched, then turned towards the doorway.

"I will be back in an hour and we will train together," he told Byakuya.

"Hai," Byakuya said, watching as his grandfather left, then turning back to his paperwork.

He meant to continue working, but felt the deep ache inside his body and rose to stretch. He left the office and walked into his quarters, closing the door behind him. He bared himself to the waist and gazed into the full length mirror, studying the healing bruises.

_Every night, I undress and move to join her in our bed. And before I reach it, the nightmare begins. A violent assault on my body, brutal sex without passion, and then the onset of Amaya's crying. Every night, it is the same. And no one but me can sense the pain that wracks my body. No one but me can see the bruises and hurts. And even if I dared to speak of it to anyone, I would not be believed. Because this falls well within the realm of the 'unbelievable.' How powerful is this thing that controls Sousuke, that it can do these things to my body, and no one knows?_

_Oddly, I cannot swear that any of this is real. It feels real to my body...to my heart, but no one else senses it. Does it mean that it is real and I am the only one who sees it correctly, or is it all some kind of illusion? The bruises and scratches, the pain fade as the day goes on...only to return by the next morning. There is never a time I do not feel the ache...never a respite._

_But then, that thing that controls Sousuke is a merciless soul. There is no way I know to confront or overcome it. I do not even fully understand what it is. Until I do...I am helpless to stop it._

_Sousuke, we are both being held captive by this thing. How do we stop it? How can we take back our daughter and our lives?_

_Sousuke..._

He had never been one to succumb easily to tears. Long before, his grandfather had broken him of the habit. Since then, the only time he had felt that weakness of heart overtake him was when he had been pregnant with Amaya.

He placed a hand on his abdomen, his eyes filling with tears as he remembered how it felt to carry her inside him. He remembered the gentleness with which Aizen had treated him during her birth, how he had calmed his noble lover's fears and carefully sheltered them.

_That is the man who I love...the one who still exists somewhere. But we have lost ourselves, and each other. We have only emotion and memory to hang on to. The only time we touch is when that beastly thing forces him to hurt me. The only time I hear his voice is when it uses his voice to torment me. I sometimes feel a hesitation in his hands, see a moment of regret in his eyes. But it ends too quickly and the torment goes on._

_Still, there is that thing it said...that I was not to speak of anything to Sousuke until he came for me._

_There is hope then, perhaps._

_There must be._

_Sousuke, I begin to break apart._

XXXXXXXXXX

"You need to cease tormenting him. He is beginning to fall apart. I can see it in his eyes and I feel it in his body. I know that you do as well. Mind your promises to me. Byakuya is no good to me dead or driven mad."

The hougyoku glinted softly.

_He is strong of heart. He has weathered his punishment better than most would, ne? But I thought you approved of making him suffer for marrying her...?_

"That was still assuming that there would be something of him left to recover when we become king. Remember, I have not deviated from our plans. I have done everything that we agreed upon. But if you want me to continue..."

_As though you have the option of stopping...but that aside, you have been cooperative. And Byakuya may be useful at some point, as long as he is kept well. Very well, then. It will cost me nothing but a bit of amusement to end his torments. We will no longer invade his mind while he sleeps._

"I want to speak to him...about everything."

_No._

"At least about Amaya, to reassure him that he will see her again."

_I told him that when I took her._

"Do you honestly believe that he trusts your words?"

_You have a point. Very well, then. A final dream...to ensure his survival and his silence. But you are still to tell him nothing of our plans._

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya stood quietly in front of the mirror in his dressing area, waiting as his attendant undressed him, then wrapped a comfortable yukata around him and tied it at the waist.

"Arigato, Torio," he said quietly, "You may go."

He knew not to expect that he would even reach the bed before the nightmare gripped him. He was swiftly incapacitated as he walked towards the bed. And when he woke, he was, as always, beneath the tree where Amaya had been conceived. It struck him as odd that this time, he was in no way bound and that his captor did not assault him immediately. He opened his eyes and sat up slowly, his eyes coming to rest on Aizen Sousuke's somber looking face.

"Why do you hesitate?" he asked softly, "I have not once questioned this, nor have I resisted."

"No," Aizen replied, his tone as somber as his expression, "You have been completely compliant. In fact, it is difficult to maintain my anger with you over your marriage to that Rukon woman. Sometimes, when I feel the longing touch of your reiatsu, I do want to forgive you."

"It is ironic, ne?" Byakuya said, flinching as Aizen moved closer and placed a hand on his cheek, "You have made me suffer every night of my marriage to Hisana, while knowing that I never touched her. In truth, I have remained completely faithful to you, even telling Hisana that we would never have relations. She has accepted this. There was never a need to remind me so painfully of what I already knew. And yet, after you loosed your anger on me, you returned to your bed to lie down with Gin, a snake that has only ever wished me ill. Of the two of us, am I truly the one who needs to be reminded of his commitments?"

"You do not know what I have or have not..."

"Lies!" Byakuya hissed, his eyes darkening, "You look into my eyes and you say these things, Sousuke. But there is no truth in your words."

He paused and gathered himself.

"I told you before that we shared a strong soul resonance. That is why you heard my cries when I was bearing Amaya. That is why I know in my heart, and I feel it break every time you lie down with _him_. Sousuke, you do not have to tell me that you are no longer your own master. As much as you might have been angry with me, you would never have hurt me as you have every day since my wedding. And as much as you might have felt betrayed, you would not have lain down with Gin after we confessed our love to each other."

"I had my reasons for acting as I did," Aizen said, his reiatsu ruffling slightly.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "And the reason is...that you have lost control of yourself."

"No."

"But, you have," Byakuya insisted, "Sousuke, we have been lovers for a long time now. I know what I feel when you are with me. Your violence and your love both speak volumes to me. I understand. It is...unsafe for us to be together. And now that you feel you have punished me sufficiently for that imagined betrayal, you are going to leave me, ne? Are you going to refuse to ever let me see our daughter again? Is that the final sting of your 'punishment' for me?"

He shivered and turned his head aside and Aizen knelt in front of him and wrapped his arms around the noble.

"Things are difficult for us now, watashi no koi," he breathed into the frozen noble's ear, "And it is true, both that I was angry over your marriage to Hisana, and that we cannot be together right now. I am sorry that I bring you nothing but torment. It will not always be like this. I promise you!"

"Sousuke..."

Aizen's fingers touched his lips.

"I am not going to refuse to allow you to see our daughter," the fifth division taichou went on, "You will hold her in your arms again, and we will raise her together. You must remain strong and believe that through the times that come, Byakuya. We will be happy as we were before."

He went quiet for a moment, studying Byakuya's weary expression in the moonlight. His fingers threaded through the noble's silken hair, and he lowered his lips to meet Byakuya's for a slow, gentle kiss. It chilled him inside to see no reaction, only dull compliance.

"Byakuya," he said, stroking the noble's cheek and tracing the lines of his throat, "What is wrong? I have ended your torment. I have promised you what I can. Is there nothing I can do to awaken the fires inside you?"

Byakuya gave him a heartbroken smile.

"There is no need to awaken those fires," he said softly, his voice shaking slightly, "They are not appreciated here. And the one man who even knew those flames still burned inside me is leaving me. How would you have me feel?"

Aizen captured his face in both hands and gazed down into his dark, reeling eyes.

"I would have you feel loved."

He started to sink into Byakuya's sweet mouth as he had so many times before, but was stunned when the noble pulled away, as though the kiss had burned him.

"Byakuya," he whispered, staring.

"I am sorry," Byakuya said, his face paling, "I am barely hanging on to my sanity, Sousuke. If I am to wait to be with you and Amaya, so be it, but...do not torture me this way! Just...go. I will endure until our paths cross again. I will wait for you to keep your promises."

Aizen closed his eyes and took a shockingly painful breath.

"Very well, then," he said calmly, "I will do as you say. But...if the world becomes too dreary for you...or you need something to help you cope..."

"I will be fine," Byakuya said, stiffening and taking a steadying breath, "Go."

It seemed like forever before the brown-eyed shinigami could make himself turn and flash step away. And he nearly couldn't keep from turning back as he sensed when Byakuya collapsed onto the cold ground beneath the sakura tree, digging his fingers into the ground and surrendering to tears.


	21. Beautiful, Even When Broken

**Chapter 21: Beautiful, Even When Broken**

**(Surprise! Another update! Truthfully, I think it's about time I finished it. But don't worry, there are a few chapters yet to go...maybe quite a few. Got to tell the whole story, right? Thanks to everyone reading, and thanks to reviewers Digzzz, Iloveaizenandbyakuya, sweet Sariniste, Fanficstalker, and SlytherinQueen020 (was that fast enough?). Happy reading to all! Love Spunky)**

_"Are you all right, Byakuya?"_

_The youth nodded briefly as Aizen brushed the hair out of his eyes._

_"It wasn't…too painful, was it?"_

_Byakuya shook his head, still unable to find his voice. Aizen held the youth against him, feeding him gentle kisses and breathing soft, affectionate words into his ear as he calmed and gathered himself. When he seemed more composed the older man released him and sat, quietly watching as Byakuya struggled for words._

_"I am sorry to have worried you," he whispered finally, "It's just that…that…no one ever wanted this part of me. N-no one ever loved this part of me. They wanted to kill it…to…make it disappear. But you…you…are different. That's why I couldn't say 'no' to you anymore. I had to let you in. You are the only thing that is keeping me alive inside."_

_Aizen offered him a sad smile._

_"I understand," he said calmly, "and that is part of the reason that I hide behind a mask, Byakuya. What I hide is the truth of who I am. And that truth would not be welcome. No one would want this part of me. No one could love this part of me. No one but you."_

_Byakuya stared at the man breathlessly as his hand rose and swept the mask away. He took a gasping breath and stared wide-eyed as the wickedly beautiful face beneath it was fully revealed._

Aizen Sousuke's eyes opened, and for one breathtaking moment, he wondered if he had gone back in time, and the soft weight on his chest could actually be Byakuya returned to him. But any doubts that he had disappeared as Gin shifted in his sleep, wrapping himself more tightly around Aizen's naked body.

_But no matter how tightly he winds himself around me, it is easy to escape him. Such a wickedly deceptive creature...but then, that is why you enjoy him so much, ne Hougyoku?_

He felt a stirring in the stone that inhabited his chest.

_We all have our ways of amusing ourselves,_ the hougyoku answered, _Teasing this man with the promise of seeing his ambitions fulfilled is especially compelling. Do you know just how badly he wants to kill you? At the same time, he finds you sinfully irresistible._

Aizen sighed.

_Well then, feel free to indulge. But I have other things to attend to._

He invoked his power, so as not to wake the silver-haired man who rested in his arms, then slipped out of bed and slowly dressed. He left the fifth division and walked through the quiet streets, his mind returning to the dream memory that had awakened him.

While Aizen wasn't a man to dwell on the past or to waste time regretting what was done, his love affair with Kuchiki Byakuya reached him on an oddly deep level. And although the noble rarely even met his eyes anymore when they encountered each other, he dreamed of Byakuya constantly, often waking so much wanting his younger lover that he somewhat guiltily indulged in Gin while using his power so that he fooled himself into thinking that he was with the young noble.

_Do not tell me that you are still mooning over that noble brat, _the hougyoku whispered into his mind, _The amount of time you waste thinking about him becomes alarming. You need to focus your full attention on what we are doing. You promised me souls to consume to feed my powers..._

Aizen shook his head in annoyance.

_And you shall have them, of course, _he promised, _But I must see to Byakuya today. The poor soul has lost about the only friend he has. Hisana was never his lover, but the role she played in sustaining him was pivotal._

_You still hate her for being so close to him, while you could not, _the hougyoku said accusingly, _If you had hated her any more, I might not have been able to resist killing her to answer your desires._

_Do not even speak of such a thing. As much as their marriage annoyed me, I know just what role Hisana played in holding Byakuya together when we had to part ways._

_You still hated the very sight of her._

He ignored the goading voice and continued on his way to Kuchiki Manor. He walked blithely through the gates and past the house guards, unseen, then took the path across the gardens, following it to the back gate. He passed through and made his way down the left hand trail, slowing as he approached the family cemetery. He found a place in the trees and watched quietly as the gathered nobles honored the heir's dead wife. He could almost have been touched by how sincere they all seemed, until the ceremony ended, and the head elder approached Byakuya.

"You have our deepest condolences, Byakuya-sama. But now that our differences have been resolved, the elders will no longer stand in your way. You have rededicated yourself to our clan's well-being, and as such, we have unanimously voted to approve your ascendance to head of household, effective immediately."

There could be no two ways to hear the man's words. And if the words hadn't stung him, Byakuya's reaction told him everything. The noble's face went a shade paler than it already had been. Mingled pain and fury resonated in his dark eyes and his hands clenched for a moment, then released. Aizen bristled, both at the words Byakuya said next, and the smile it brought to the elder noble's lips.

"Thank you, Nori."

_He should kill the lot of them where they stand. This is exactly why I so despise the noble class. What they do to their own..._

He watched as the clan members filed out of the cemetery, leaving Byakuya standing alongside Kuchiki Ginrei. The old shinigami studied his grandson for a moment, then touched his wrist lightly.

"I am sorry," he said softly, "I know that they were harsh with you at a time when it must be very difficult."

"I will be all right, Grandfather," Byakuya said softly, "I was not surprised by their actions. They felt that they needed to punish me for marrying her. But even though they have, I am not sorry. She saved my life. I owed it to her to care for her as best I could."

"You loved Hisana very much," Ginrei commented, lowering his eyes.

"I know that they saw it as wrong..."

"It is not wrong to follow your heart, Byakuya," Ginrei said quietly, "And I am proud of you for doing that, despite how they punished you for it. You are so much your father's son that it makes my heart ache. Soujun was a man of strong heart...a heart greater than his strength. But you...you redefine strength."

Byakuya smiled.

"Thank you, Grandfather."

He watched quietly as Ginrei opened a royal senkaimon and then turned back to embrace his young successor.

"I will miss you," Ginrei confessed, "But it will not be so long before you will be called to the spirit dimension to serve the king as well."

"I look forward to that," Byakuya replied, "Goodbye, Grandfather. Thank you. I am in your debt."

Byakuya watched, his eyes intense, as the old shinigami passed into the spirit dimension and the senkaimon closed behind him. He stood alone in the cemetery, a solitary figure, looking down at Hisana's grave marker, then lowering himself onto his knees beside her resting place.

"Thank you, Hisana," he said softly, "I will always be grateful to you."

He sprinkled a handful of sakura petals over her grave, then stood and started out of the cemetery. He paused at the gate, one hand on the wrought iron as the other touched his breast, over his heart. He swallowed hard, forcing down the threatening emotion, then left the cemetery and walked back towards the manor. Aizen followed on silent feet, watching him carefully.

_I know what you are doing to yourself beneath that calm surface, watashi no koi. I know the torments you subject yourself to. And I bear the weight of guilt for a measure of your loneliness right now. I wonder sometimes if the burden of memory is unfair to you. Things are difficult enough without that hanging over you._

He was mildly surprised when Byakuya stopped short of the gate that led back into the gardens, and a trembling white hand touched his breast again. Pain broke through his stiff controls and registered on his handsome face, making Aizen consider revealing himself. But the moment for doing so was lost as Byakuya burst into flash steps and fled the manor, moving too quickly to be seen by the naked eye, but not quickly enough to evade his lover.

Aizen followed, still under Kyouka Suigetsu's concealing power, as Byakuya fled the manor and passed through the streets of the Seireitei, until he reached the gates leading into the Rukongai. He surprised Aizen again by taking a path, not immediately towards Inuzuri, but towards the mid-Rukongai, where he had been assigned after first learning he was pregnant with Amaya. But even once he reached the place where he had stayed, he continued on. He ran out into the woods, where he had fled, thinking his lover meant to do him harm, with Aizen, once again in pursuit.

_What are you running from this time, Byakuya? You cannot outrun the torment. But I understand. It has become unbearable. And I am sorry for being part of that._

Byakuya slowed as he reached the waterfall, where Aizen had confronted him. He flash stepped out to the rock he had stood on just before his lover had appeared and he had attacked, throwing himself over the falls. The water roared even faster than it had that day, sending jolts of warning through the fifth division taichou. He moved closer to the deeply wounded noble, bracing himself for whatever action Byakuya might take.

Byakuya's arms wrapped around his midsection, clenching tightly and shaking as drops of icy spray chilled his skin. Aizen watched, rapt, as dangerous emotion played over his lover's tormented face.

_You have been pushed too far...by me, by her death, by the way they punished you for taking her as your wife. Byakuya..._

He felt an odd falling off of the distraught noble's reiatsu and moved closer, frowning with concern.

_What are you doing?_

Byakuya stepped to the edge of the rock he stood on, watching as the water broke all around him and tumbled over the falls.

"I am sorry, Hisana," he whispered, barely audibly above the crashing waterfall, "I will not be able to keep my final promise to you. Forgive me."

Aizen watched with disbelieving eyes as Byakuya's hair whipped in the suddenly intense breeze. It was as though the air itself knew what he was about to do, and was trying to hold him back. Aizen's eyes narrowed, and he launched himself forward as Byakuya stepped over the edge and began to fall.

_You think that because she has died, you are alone and there will be no one to rescue you this time._

_You are wrong, Byakuya._

_You never needed that woman to rescue you. You never needed those noble bastards to keep your heart alive. But I have starved you of what you need for so long that you could not bear it anymore._

_I am sorry for that._

His reaching arms captured the falling shinigami, and he flash stepped to the shore. Byakuya's eyes blinked and disbelief registered on his face.

_That is right. He cannot see me, _Aizen thought, smirking.

"I cannot see you," Byakuya said, holding onto Aizen tightly, "but I know who holds me. I do not know how you did this, but I thank you...Sousuke."

Aizen let the illusion fall away and touched down on the edge of the river, at the base of the waterfall. They moved away from the edge so that they could hear over the sounds of falling water. Byakuya bit at his lips and looked down at the river, avoiding the other man's eyes. Aizen watched for a moment, then took the noble off his feet and sent a gentle throb of kido through his body, sending him off into a deep, restorative sleep. He left the waterfall behind and carried his sleeping lover to the cottage they had shared for a short time after Amaya's birth. He undressed the noble and laid him in the large, comfortable bed there, then left to make tea.

He returned a short time later and sat down near where Byakuya slept. He sipped at his tea and studied the noble's troubled face, trying to decide the best course of action.

_What would remove some of the weight?_

Holding Byakuya close...comforting him, was a forgone conclusion. But what, he wondered, should happen after that? He shivered softly, considering, but then noticed that Byakuya was beginning to stir.

He removed his clothes and laid down with his still senseless lover. And as though not a day had passed, Byakuya's arms closed around him, welcomingly. It was heartbreaking to feel how tightly his lover's hands held on, as though he expected the other man to disappear at any moment. Aizen shook his head and let out a soft breath, then brushed his lips warmly against Byakuya's, at the same time bringing the noble fully awake.

Their eyes locked for one breathless, soundless moment, then Byakuya's mouth sought his with the fervor of one starved for his affection. He yielded easily to the noble's hungry, biting kisses, to the searching hands that explored his bared flesh, slowly remembering him. He closed his eyes and plunged deeper into the noble's mouth, his hands sliding down Byakuya's naked body, his hastily wetted fingers invading his entrance. Byakuya moaned into his mouth and turned, toppling him and mounting him in one blindingly swift motion. Warm, pale hands splayed out on his shoulders as Byakuya gasped and lowered his head for a moment, recovering. Then, the initial shock of pain faded and his lithe, white body began to move. Aizen's hands grabbed the noble's thrusting hips, and his eyes locked on Byakuya's and held them as the noble's body danced provocatively on top of his.

Aizen smiled, watching as the intensity of their coupling swept across his lover's face, making the pain disappear and new life come into Byakuya's dark, stormy eyes. Their reiatsu swelled around them, making the air quiver and the ground beneath them quake as their bodies moved together. Sinful lips and tongues tasted and devoured. Their fingers raked each others' skin relentlessly. The reiatsu stormed around them as Byakuya rose and fell on his lover's swollen member.

Aizen felt the onset of euphoria that preceded release, and tore himself away, throwing the surprised noble facedown on the bed and entering him roughly from behind. His hands gripped Byakuya's hips and he thrust, hard and fast, into his lover's willing body. Byakuya clawed at the bedding, lowering his head, panting hard and raising his hips to meet the forceful thrusts he so hungered for. Because as long as they were together like this, the pain wouldn't overwhelm him. As long as they had each other, he could endure through anything. He groaned in near delirium as Aizen's hand found his aching erection and stroked it lovingly as he continued his hard, pounding thrusts. Everything seemed to disappear into a blinding white haze, and his arms and legs shook, threatening to collapse. Pleasure exploded through their joined bodies as Aizen thrust in deeply and held Byakuya's hips still. Byakuya loosed a senseless cry of pleasure and fell onto his stomach, his mind spinning as Aizen's heat filled him, and his own essence pulsed out onto the bed.

Aizen's sated member slid out of him, and the older shinigami dropped down beside him, smiling as Byakuya rolled readily into his arms. The two exchanged a flurry of passionate kisses, then settled in each other's arms, still looking into each others' sleepy eyes.

"I love you, Sousuke," Byakuya whispered, tracing his lips with a pale fingertip, "Thank you for rescuing me from myself."

Aizen's genuine smile warmed him all of the way down to his bare toes.

"I love you too," he answered, kissing the exhausted noble again, "Thank you for allowing yourself to be saved. My life would be dreadfully empty without you, my Byakuya."

He knew better than to allow the conversation to go any farther. With his eyes still gazing down into his lover's, he swiftly called on his zanpakutou's powers, then carefully removed all memory of their association from the stunned noble's mind.

_Am I merciless? _he wondered, watching Byakuya's eyes close, and his lovely body go limp, _Or is it more merciful to ease your mind with forgetfulness until our time comes again? I won't lose you to your despair, Byakuya. I will do what I must, and then we will share a sweet reunion in the spirit realm. You will hold our daughter in your arms again, and we will make other children too, so that as old as we grow, your arms will never be empty again._

He kissed Byakuya's warm lips one last time, then quietly dressed the two of them. He gathered the younger man into his arms and called on Kyouka Suigetsu to allow them to move about unseen. He carried Byakuya back to Kuchiki Manor and deposited the peacefully sleeping noble in his own bed.

"Sleep well, watashi no koi, be well. I will be nearby," he promised.

He slipped out of the room and flash stepped away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya blinked and opened his eyes, yawning and trying to remember how he had ended up in his own bed.

_I was distraught after saying goodbye to her, after the council's rebuke, and then Grandfather's departure. It must have overwhelmed me for a time. But I feel strength that wasn't there before...comfort...as though there was someone here with me, watching over me. I wonder what angel it was. I have lost so many loved ones now. It could be any and all of them. Well...there is nothing to do but to honor them by getting up and moving. It does not do to dwell on the past. There is promise in the future._

He looked out the open garden doors and tightened the tie at his waist. He started to rise, then stopped, his eye coming to rest on a very dark, red rose that had been placed in a vase at his bedside.

Torio's step distracted him, and the attendant smiled warmly at him.

"Byakuya-sama, it is good to see you awake. You slept for a long time."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "I felt as though I had been asleep forever."

He glanced at the rose.

"Torio, do you know where that rose came from?"

The attendant shook his head.

"No sir, I am sorry. It must have arrived while I was making the tea. Would you like the tea here or in the garden, sir?"

"In the garden," Byakuya said, climbing to his feet, then pausing as his head spun for a moment, "I have been locked up inside for long enough."

"Of course, sir," Torio said, hastening to carry the tea out the doors before Byakuya followed.

The noble bent and breathed in the dark rose's sweetness for a moment. He felt a flutter of memory, but it slipped away before he could make sense of it. He shook his head to clear it, then followed Torio out into the garden.


	22. The Other Hostage

**Chapter 22: The Other Hostage**

**(Major timeskip here, but necessary to get to the good stuff. This one is an eye-opener for poor Bya...Thanks so much to readers and to reviewers, Geecee (Oh, you will love furious Byakuya as he faces just how bad a boy his Sousuke really is!), Sariniste (Glad to say, the updates will be fast and furious now!), A Fan (I love happy endings!), Iloveaizenandbyakuya (The 'hot makeup sex' will be along soon!), and SlytherinQueen020 (Another lightning fast update for you!). Take care all! And happy reading. Spunky is off to work!) **

(Fifty years later...)

"Are you still watching that?" asked Gin, sitting down in the chair next to Aizen and gazing down at the security screen that showed Ichigo and Byakuya's ongoing battle, "One would have thought that after you relieved the poor thing of his memory, you would have left him alone. But...your feelings towards that brat have always been conflicted, ne Aizen taichou?"

"Be ready," Aizen said, off-handedly, "We will move as soon as this battle is decided."

"Are you sure that you don't want to step in?" asked Gin, "Your former love is taking quite the beating, ne? You _haven't_ forgiven him for taking in his late wife's sister. Though I don't think you need to have worried. He never touched the girl and hardly even looked at her...so great was his pain at even seeing her. Reminds him too much of the other..."

"Shut up," Aizen said, warningly, "Go and make yourself ready."

"Of course, Aizen taichou."

Gin watched out of the corner of an eye as he left the room, shaking his head at what he read in the other man's eyes.

_How very foolish of you...to look at him that way right in front of me. You still want to rescue him, ne Aizen taichou? You whisper your hatred of him after the way he favored that girl. It dug into old wounds...did it not? I hope it did. I hope that it comforts and stings when Byakuya dies. I knew there was a reason that I liked that Ryoka boy. I hope he cuts that pompous bastard down and bleeds him dry. Not that even his death will wipe him from your mind..._

He shook his head again and walked away.

Aizen's eyes gazed down at the screen, and a flurry of warring emotions wreaked their havoc inside him.

_I don't know what to wish for...for Ichigo to cut him down and take the girl away from him, or to see him kill that Ryoka boy and have to kill Rukia himself._

_Why do I despise that girl so?_

_At least...I know why, don't I? He threw himself into finding her after his Rukon wife died, refusing to stop, even at the behest of the Kuchiki Council. He defied them openly in searching for her, then defied them again by bringing her into the family. And how many times did I steal my way into the manor to see how he was faring, only to find him kneeling before his dead wife's picture and speaking to her as though she still lived? He may not have loved her physically, but he did love her obsessively. That he still mourns her to such an extent after fifty years..._

_As though the connection to that woman was...was..._

_It doesn't matter. One way or another, I will see to it that Kuchiki Rukia joins her wretched sister in death. And if it takes Byakuya with it, that is his own fault for fawning on them to the point of obsession!_

_Yes, _agreed the hougyoku, _Finally, you have come to your senses. You have come to see how he taunts you with that other love. Even if they never had sexual relations, for him to go to such lengths is demeaning to the king he belongs to, in the end. You are right to treat his behavior harshly. You are the rightful king. And as a noble lord, he will be your servant, once you ascend._

_Your argument makes sense, _thought Aizen, _but I do not think of Byakuya as a servant._

_Ah, but perhaps that has been the problem all along. But this will express your displeasure to him. I am sure that when he falls, he will understand how foolish it is to cross Aizen Sousuke._

Aizen looked down at the console in front of him, where four soul candies rested. He placed three of them in his pocket, then picked up the fourth and rolled it between his fingers, while looking back at the screen where Byakuya's battle with Ichigo continued.

"I had such plans for the two of us, Byakuya. I wanted to restore your memory, to take you with us, to raise our daughter with you in the spirit dimension. But I cannot look at you without being reminded of your devotion to _her_. The only one you should love with such devotion is me."

His fingers tightened on the soul candy, exerting pressure until it could have shattered. But strangely, the soul candy refused to break between his fingers.

Aizen smiled sadly.

"How very like the man you represent."

He shook his head and slipped the soul candy into his pocket, his eyes returning to the monitor.

_He looks beautiful like that, surrounded in white power...like an angel. But his heart is not in this battle. Win or lose, there is no victory for him._

The two opposing forces struck each other, and he knew he would have felt the explosion of life ending power, even from so far away. He watched quietly as the dust cleared, and was surprised to see both Ichigo and Byakuya still standing. Byakuya opened his hand, and a few pink petal blades fluttered away.

"So..." Aizen said softly, "It is time."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew one of the soul candies, then sent a touch of power through it to bring it to life. He studied the reigai copy of himself that formed.

"Fascinating," he said softly, "and useful."

He used Kyouka Suigetsu's power to make himself unseen, then followed the reigai out to where Tousen and Gin waited. The three exchanged a few last words, then left Central 46 and headed for Soukyoku Hill.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya flash stepped away from the battle site, but almost immediately felt the heavy impact on his damaged body. Gritting his teeth, he made for the cover of the trees at the edge of Soukyoku Hill and stopped just inside, dropping to his knees and pausing to assess the damage.

He felt a sense of relief at having been denied victory.

_It stings to have been defeated by that boy, but...it absolves me of any responsibility for seeing to Rukia's capture and death. Things could be much worse._

He watched quietly as Ichigo's friends gathered around him. Their relieved voices traveled on the cool breeze, just reaching him. He rested calmly in the trees, feeling comforted that Rukia had escaped, and that he was no longer obligated to go after her. He was just getting back to his feet and preparing to leave, when Renji suddenly appeared on the hill, still carrying Rukia in his arms.

"What the...?" Renji said, looking bewildered.

Byakuya's eyes widened as Gin, Tousen and the thought dead, Aizen Sousuke, appeared near Renji.

"Aizen Sousuke?" Byakuya whispered, his eyes widening, "But he was...?"

He listened in stunned silence, his heart breaking inside as Aizen's calm voice explained how he had manipulated them all.

_But I have known Aizen taichou since I was a child! How can this be him? He was always so kind, so gentle. This cannot be him!_

But the damning words went on, and the horrid ache grew inside the shocked noble. He reached blindly for Senbonzakura, only to remember that the blade had been shattered. His eyes returned to the top of the hill, where Aizen's words continued the assault that struck him harder than Ichigo's sword had.

_He set this whole thing up! He purposely involved Rukia! Why? He has never given any hint of disagreement with Rukia, with me or with the Kuchiki clan! Why would he target us like that? Why?_

He continued to watch numbly as Renji, Ichigo and then Komamura taichou were all cut down. His fists clenched and his remaining store of power began to flare as Aizen lifted Rukia off her feet, removed something from her chest, then let her fall to the ground on her knees. He knew that with his body so damaged from his battle with Ichigo, he would only get one strike at the traitor...and he probably would not survive.

So it was important to make that one attack count.

He loosed his power around him, preparing to make his move, but was frozen by the ice that rose up in his veins at Aizen's final taunting words.

"Fascinating, and no permanent harm done to the soul. But...since I have no other use for you."

Byakuya's heart stopped in his chest.

"Kill her, Gin."

All thoughts of killing Aizen left his mind. He flash stepped instinctively, sacrificing everything to gain the speed he needed. His spirit centers blazed painfully inside him, but he ignored the pain, his eyes fastened on his sister, and his only thought, to be faster than Gin's sword. He reached Aizen, and tore his sister's weakened body from the traitor's outstretched hand. He held Rukia carefully aside as he landed.

He only had a moment to realize what was about to happen, to quietly brace himself. Then, Gin's blade sank into his unprotected chest and passed through his crouched body. Pain, unlike any he had ever felt, erupted through his ruined form and blood exploded outward, staining clothing and flesh, splashing onto the dusty ground, and still pouring out of him as Gin's blade retracted, and Byakuya dropped heavily onto his knees. Gasping for breath, he tried in vain to find the strength to move, as Aizen walked towards them, his hand on Kyouka Suigetsu.

His consciousness began to fade, but before it left him, he was surprised to feel someone's arms capture him, to hear Aizen's voice in his ear. He couldn't speak, and couldn't make sense of what was happening. All Kuchiki Byakuya knew was that, in the end, he had failed to honor his promise to Hisana.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke watched from within the trees, smiling in anticipation as his reigai double calmly explained what he had done. His eyes glinted triumphantly as the reigai removed Urahara Kisuke's imperfect hougyoku from Kuchiki Rukia's body.

_That should satisfy your need for souls to devour,_ Aizen thought.

_Yes, _agreed the stone implanted in his chest, _that will satisfy me and bring me to my full power. You have done well, Aizen Sousuke._

Aizen's smile widened as his double lifted Rukia off of her feet and ordered Gin to kill her.

_Finally, I will be rid of that thorn in my side..._

He frowned in surprise as he felt the burn of Kuchiki Byakuya's reiatsu.

_Byakuya?_

He encountered an odd moment of stunned breathlessness, first, at Byakuya's recklessness, and secondly, at how he seemed to feel in his own body, the impact of Gin's extended blade as it passed through Byakuya's body. He was even more stunned to see Byakuya take the blow soundlessly. He remained on his feet for one long moment. Then Gin recalled his blade, increasing the amount of damage to Byakuya's body as it exited.

_What is wrong with you? _asked the hougyoku, _Didn't you want him to die?_

Aizen ignored the hougyoku's words and burst out from the trees. Still cloaked in Kyouka Suigetsu's power, and moving so quickly that he wouldn't have been seen anyway, he flash stepped to the wounded noble. He removed the soul candy he had made for Byakuya and called it to life, at the same time, taking hold of the injured taichou and wrapping Kyouka Suigetsu's power around him as well. He flash stepped back into the trees and paused, letting Byakuya's unconscious body slide to the ground. Everything else was forgotten as he bent over his former lover, and quickly stopped the profuse bleeding.

_This is useless, _the hougyoku complained, _He is nearly dead already. You aren't going to be able to save him. You should be concerning yourself with what is going on over there!_

Aizen didn't answer, but lifted Byakuya into his arms again and opened a garganta. He passed through the dark cavern, moving as fast as his flash step could carry him, and emerged inside the courtyard at Las Noches. He ran inside and carried the noble into the healing center, calling for his personal healer. Moving back, he watched in silence as his healer studied the noble's wounds and shook his head in frustration.

"Aizen-sama, this man cannot be saved," the old man said softly, "His injuries are too great."

Aizen's reiatsu rose threateningly, making the healer's eyes widen in fear.

"You find a way to save him, or you will join him in death," he warned the man.

The healer swallowed hard and called several more healers into the room.

_Do not let him die, _Aizen warned the hougyoku.

_What? You still want him? Despite everything? Have you forgotten how he...?_

_I do not care. You know my desires in this, and I have mastered you. Do as I willed! Save him._

The hougyoku bristled inside him.

_Very well, then. But...I expect you will not let him distract you from our goals._

Aizen frowned.

_I am well aware of our goals and what we will need to do to complete them._

_But have you given any thought to what you will do when Kuchiki Byakuya wakes? Even if you return his memories, he now knows just what you have done. He is not likely to take well to the facts._

_I will manage Byakuya. You just make sure that he does not die._

_As you wish...Master, _the hougyoku said with a note of sarcasm, _Do you want me to hollowfy him?_

_No, _Aizen said with finality, _I want him left full shinigami_.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya knew upon waking that he was no longer in the Seireitei. Hueco Mundo had a cold, dead feeling to it that immediately announced itself as the noble regained consciousness. At first, he wondered if he had died and turned into a hollow. His eyes blinked open and his hand explored his bare chest and abdomen. He gave a relieved sigh at finding himself whole, but for the bandaged wounds.

He tried to sit up, but his body shook too hard, and he fell back, panting softly. Instead, he turned his head and slowly explored the room he was in with his eyes. He rested in a soft, comfortable bed, in a large room with fine, expensive furniture and a large glass dome for a ceiling. The stars and crescent moon lit the sky above him, and would have been enchanting if he had been at home.

But...

"It is good to see you awake," Aizen Sousuke's voice said quietly.

Byakuya turned his head and found himself looking up at the fully revealed face of the traitorous taichou. Anger flared inside him, making him forget his injuries as he tried to strike out at his enemy. Aizen caught his hands and shook his head, frowning.

"You are in no condition to attack anyone. Your spirit centers and your body were severely damaged. You need to rest."

"Why am I _here_?" Byakuya asked, his temper flaring hotly, "It wasn't enough to torment me by killing my sister? You had to bring me here to...?"

"Rukia is fine. You managed to save her, and...she escaped the incident at Soukyoku Hill unharmed."

"But you brought me here. Why?" asked the noble.

Aizen paused, studying him for a moment.

"We can talk when you have gained more strength. I do not want you taxing yourself and breaking your stitches. You barely survived. I would rather you didn't die."

Byakuya scowled.

"So you can use me as a hostage?" he suggested icily, "Don't bother. The noble clans will not go along with you, even though you have imprisoned the strongest."

"Is that why you think I brought you here?"

"It is the only thing that makes sense," insisted the noble, "Why else would you do this?"

"Why else, indeed?" Aizen said softly, drawing his blade and shattering the illusions that had suppressed his lover's memories.

He watched as realization fell over the injured noble and his eyes widened, and he paled until he looked almost ghostly.

"Do you understand now, Byakuya?" Aizen asked calmly, "Do you understand why I could not tell you anything before? Why I said we could not get married and have a family? And do you understand why I could not let you die, but brought you to Las Noches and made you a prisoner here?"

Byakuya stared back at him with horrified fascination.

"Sousuke," he whispered, "Sousuke, what have you _done_?"


	23. Necessary Bondage

**Chapter 23: Necessary Bondage**

_"Do you understand now, Byakuya?" Aizen asked calmly, "Do you understand why I could not tell you anything before? Why I said we could not get married and have a family? And do you understand why I could not let you die, but brought you to Las Noches and made you a prisoner here?"_

_Byakuya stared back at him with horrified fascination._

_"Sousuke," he whispered, "Sousuke, what have you done?"_

"Surely, you must have suspected," Aizen said quietly, "I _did_ tell you that there were things I could not share with you. You cannot tell me that you never considered that what I held back involved things that would violate our laws."

"Of course that occurred to me," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "But...you _knew_ from the very beginning that I was heir to the greatest of the noble clans! How could you pursue me, knowing that you would be setting me up to betray my own family? Sousuke...!"

"I never asked you to betray your family," explained Aizen, "In fact, you know that I went out of my way to protect you from culpability. I shielded you, Byakuya, because I love you."

"You shielded me...from _culpability_? What about betrayal? Did you shield me from that? I was blindsided like everyone else!" Byakuya said angrily, his reiatsu flaring despite the limiter that had been placed on his wrist to protect his damaged spirit centers, "I had no idea that you would turn on _everyone who trusted you_ like that! That you would turn to stealth and murder to get what you wanted! And you didn't just use people who had wronged you directly. You used innocent people. like your fukutaichou...people who believe in the value of supporting and defending justice."

"Oh," said Aizen, cynically, "So, your idea of justice is taking a talented young child and, for no better reason than that you judge him too powerful to control, incarcerating him and treating him like a criminal? Is that what you are saying, Byakuya?"

"No!" cried Byakuya, his power swelling hotly under the limiter, "That is not justice. But what you have done is even less so! I understand that you were wronged, Sousuke. But...there were other ways to pursue justice besides betrayal and murder!"

"I gave consideration to those things," Aizen explained, "When I escaped Central 46, at first, I had no desire for revenge, no ambition at all to think that I was strong enough to pursue justice for what had been done to me. Remember Byakuya, I was betrayed by the most powerful governing body of our society. They were going to destroy my life. As a child, I had no hope of winning justice for what they did! As I concealed myself and returned to shinigami society, I watched and listened. And I can't tell you the number of times my heart was betrayed. Byakuya, I still believed that, in general, the ones who led were good people. I did try to fit in and stay out of sight, my greatest concern that someone would find out about my powers and learn who I really was. Truly, for a long time after I escaped Central 46, my only thought was to keep myself safe and to avoid capture."

"But things changed when you discovered the way to make the hougyoku," Byakuya said angrily, "Once you had something powerful in your hands, you immediately turned on everyone and everything! I can understand wanting to hurt the ones who had hurt you. But when you gained power, you didn't just go after the ones who hurt you. You went after people who had never done anything to you. You went after Rukia. You came after _me_ personally!"

Aizen's eyes darkened in warning.

"There are reasons why I used Rukia and consequently, you, in my plans. But we will get to that later. Let's deal first with the reasons why I..."

"I don't care to hear any more of your lies!" Byakuya cried, his fury raising his spiritual pressure until the power limiter shattered.

"Byakuya, don't..."

He broke off as kido exploded from the noble's hands, forcing him back from the bed. Byakuya rolled to his feet, then fell onto his knees, a hand to his injured chest. He flash stepped away as Aizen sought to take hold of him, then turned his power on the glass dome above him and loosed a furious blast on the structure. To his horror, the power he used was simply absorbed by the glass.

"What?" he gasped.

Aizen's arm wrapped around his waist, but he blocked the shock of kido that the other man tried to strike him with.

"Stop struggling," Aizen hissed, "You are only going to make your injuries worse."

Byakuya answered with a furious assault of kido and hakudo that, considering his reduced state, left Aizen breathless. Even once his captor, had captured and restrained one leg and arm, he fought ferociously, breaking the stitches in his chest and causing the wound to bleed dangerously.

"Stop, you are going to destroy yourself!" Aizen said sternly, his voice betraying concern at the noble's persistance.

"I don't care!" cried the enraged noble, "You took _everything_ from me! My freedom! My trust! My heart! My innocence! My kami, you took our _daughter_, Sousuke! For over fifty years, you have hidden her from me, and why? Why would you _do_ that? Why would you take her away from me? The truth is that it wasn't you at all, was it? It was that _thing_ that took control of you! It made you devote your life to betrayal and treachery...turned you against our very society. It made you willing to go to any lengths to get revenge for what they did to you. But that isn't all, is it? It made you take our daughter away from me and leave me! And after you were gone, as I tried to rebuild my life without you, it made you punish me for doing that. I imagine you will tell me that it was the reason you decided to use Rukia in your plans, as a way of getting at me. But what did I _ever_ do, but love you and want to be with you?"

"What about that Rukon mouse you married?" Aizen asked in a low, accusing tone.

"We have _been_ through this," Byakuya said, trying to pull away again, but only ending up entangled more tightly in Aizen's restraining arms, "I was not able to be with you. You took our daughter and you left me. At that point, you had _ no right_ to judge _anything_ I might have done."

Kido ropes wrapped around his limbs, and Aizen lifted him carefully and carried him back to the bed. He set the injured noble down gently and sent a pulse of kido through his body to immobilize him.

"In any case, you know that Hisana and I were only ever friends. We shared a kind of love, but it wasn't physical in nature. We took care of each other, because we had both learned the hard way that no one else was going to look out for us...not in the slums of Inuzuri, nor in the rich estates of the noble class in the Seireitei. We had no one else to cling to, so we held on to each other. And you hated that. Despite having abandoned me, you held it against me that I found a way to comfort myself."

Byakuya turned his head away for a moment to avoid looking at Aizen, but a moment later looked back at him with rising fear in his eyes.

"Sousuke...did you...?"

The words stuck in his throat and tears threatened.

"Did you...kill Hisana?" he asked in a dread whisper, "Did you kill her because of me?"

"I did nothing to Hisana. You know that she died because of poor health, due to having lived so long in Inuzuri."

"But how do I _know_? You set Rukia up coldly to die, Sousuke. It wouldn't have been difficult at all for you too..."

"Byakuya," Aizen said quietly, "I did not harm Hisana. I punished you...and I did regret doing so afterward. I took your memories of us after that to spare you further grief. You were coming unglued. You do remember now that you tried to kill yourself after she died."

"You should have let me," Byakuya whispered, a tear leaking onto his face, "That I could be so stupid to trust someone like you...that I could let my desire for you lead me to _this_! You should have killed me cleanly, a long time ago. Because, I am dead inside, Sousuke. It doesn't matter that my heart is still beating. I am dead inside."

"You need to rest," Aizen said calmly, "We can talk more after I have the healer come to see you. He'll need to dress that wound again."

"Give her back," Byakuya said, closing his eyes for a moment, "Give her back, and I'll stay here willingly. Bring Amaya here, and I will listen to anything you want to say. Just...give her back, Sousuke."

"I can't do that," Aizen said, with regret in his voice, "I am sorry, but that must wait until I become king."

"An what if you fail? What if the hougyoku is somehow destroyed and you are killed? What of Amaya, then?"

"It won't happen," Aizen answered, slipping a hand into his, "And even if it did, once the hougyoku is destroyed, the power concealing her would fade, and she would return to you. So...as long as you keep yourself well, one way or another, you will have her back. I promise it."

"And what are your promises worth?" Byakuya asked, turning his head away again, "You have told me nothing but lies all along. I cannot trust anything you say."

"You can trust this," Aizen said, leaning down and kissing him very gently on the forehead, "I love you. Despite everything, I still love you. I captured you and brought you here. I will hold you as my prisoner until I am made king. Then, I will claim you as my consort and return our daughter to you, and she will be our royal heir. All because I still love you."

He paused for a moment, considering.

"Would you rather sleep like she does?" Aizen asked, caressing a pale hand, "I could use the same enchantment to lock you away as well."

"No," Byakuya said, barely audibly, "Just...go, Sousuke. Please, just leave me."

"Very well. My healer will be along to take care of your wound, and I will have an attendant come to bring you something to eat. You need to eat to regain your strength."

Byakuya didn't answer, but only stared past him to where the stars shone in the permanent night sky. Aizen regarded him quietly for a moment, then shook his head in resignation and left. The healer and attendant arrived a few minutes later, the healer quickly setting about healing his opened wound and the boy, Akira placing his food next to the bed and freeing him from Aizen's restrictive kido.

"I am Hasashi," the old healer said in a calm, friendly tone, "Your attendant will be Akira. We will do what we can to make you comfortable, but do not think to ask us to help you escape. There is no way for us to assist you. We are allowed into this chamber only by Aizen-sama's permission and we cannot remove anything from it."

He looked down at the open wound and shook his head gently.

"You must try not to become agitated. Your body and spirit centers have been severely damaged, and you caused more damage to both in your fit of temper. Rest quietly and you will heal, Byakuya-sama."

Byakuya frowned at looked up at him, surprised by the respectful title. The old healer smiled.

"It appears that our leader is very fond of you," he said leaning forward to continue the healing, "He has made it clear that all who have contact with you will treat you respectfully."

"Hmmm," the noble said, non-committally.

He rested silently and cooperated calmly as the healer continued his work, then watched as the two simply disappeared again. After they had left, Byakuya sat up, ignoring the tray of food and briefly examining the new limiter that had been placed on his powers. His fingers touched the slim, silver band on his wrist and he sighed resignedly.

_I asked for this._

_I recklessly followed my heart and it led me to ruin._

"Byakuya."

He remained silent and still, not even looking at the man who had been his lover. Aizen waited for a time, then frowned and shook his head unhappily.

"As of now, you are a prisoner of war. You will remain in the tower, except when I allow you outside of it. The only ones who will come into this place are your attendant, your healer and myself. No others even know that this room exists. As you can see, it is at the top of this tower, set above the false sky ceiling in the area, and it is hidden by Kyouka Suigetsu's power. As much as you will be imprisoned, you will also be safe. No one will harm you here, as long as you remain in the tower. It would be inadvisable and extremely dangerous for you to try to leave it. My only commands to you, as the leader of the hollows are that you rest, eat and allow your body to heal. Although I could force you to cooperate in some way to further my cause, I will not. You might consider that the next time you are tempted to think that the hougyoku is in control."

Byakuya looked quietly down at his hands.

"And you think that the Gotei 13, my family and my friends will allow me to remain missing without making some attempt to find me?"

"They do not even know you are gone," Aizen said softly.

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Another bit of research I found while searching for information about the hougyoku, involved the making of something that resembles the gigai we use when in the living world...but because it is made using the reiatsu of the original being, it is able to act as a perfect replica of the person, acting and reacting in all ways, like that person...commanding his or her zanpakutou and wielding all powers...a fascinating thing...fascinating and useful."

"And you made one of these for me? Then...you did plan to bring me here?"

"I considered it," said Aizen, "But when I saw the depths of your obsession with that Rukon woman, I suffered a change of heart. I wondered if, perhaps...since she was so important to you, you should just remain there, staring at her picture and longing for her the way you once longed for me."

Byakuya's eyes took on a wounded look.

"How was I to long for you once you stole away everything that was between us? I remember now that the passion that you and I unleashed when we were together was unfathomable, Sousuke. I loved you enough then to consider walking away from everything I knew just to be with you."

"I didn't want you to do that," Aizen said, shaking his head, "I might have been wronged by Central 46, and I will have my revenge for that, but you are no part of that. It is between me and them."

"But don't you understand, I do have a part in this," Byakuya objected, "You hate everything I stand for."

"And I love the part of you that they would have stamped out," Aizen finished, "I did not wish to see you at odds with yourself because of me. That is why I acted as I did."

The two went quiet, their eyes straying up to the ceiling of stars overhead.

"If you wish for me to come to you, just speak my name. You may summon your attendant or healer by speaking their names as well. The attendant's name is Akira and your healer is Hasashi. And do not think of using them to escape. They do not know where this tower is, and they cannot, in any case, remove you from it without my permission. I will not impose my presence here if you do not wish it, but I will not refuse you if you wish for me to stay. I have duties to attend to now, as we are settling in and making plans, but..."

"I am sure Gin will miss your company if you return to me tonight," Byakuya said quietly, "I will not keep you from your lover."

Aizen met his eyes squarely.

"I do not love Gin."

"And you have told him this. Does he even know I am here?" asked the noble, closing his eyes.

"No."

Tension rose around the two until it was nearly suffocating to both.

"Do you want me to leave him and devote myself to you?" asked Aizen, "I will do so if you will agree to share a bed with me."

Byakuya's lips tightened.

"I won't let you use that snake to force me to give in to you like that. If you choose him over me because he is easier to conquer and all you are looking for is sex, then so be it, stay with him. But if you want me to lie down with you at this point, then you had best be prepared to offer me the same devotion that you demand, Sousuke. Otherwise, the only way you will lay hands on me is by force."

Aizen's eyes hardened.

"And if I give him up for you, will you, at long last, cease to moon about after that woman you married? It is scandalous the way you idolize her."

"I won't apologize for finding platonic comfort in a friend, to a man who took comfort in others while claiming to love me."

"You won't apologize, but will you let her go? I don't want her name to pass your lips when you are with me."

"Will you be abandoning Gin from your presence then?"

"I need him for my plans."

"I see," Byakuya said, looking away, "Then, you had best return to him. You have made your choice clear to me."

Aizen's eyes blazed dangerously for a moment and his reiatsu flared, but he nodded shortly and disappeared in a flash step.

"Bastard!" Byakuya whispered, his heart aching worse from thinking about his lover's infidelity than from being run through by Gin's blade.

_Ironic..._

_But then, it is clear that even though Sousuke has some amount of control, that thing he created still has too much influence over him. And I wonder...is the hougyoku truly what he thinks it is...or does it have a more manipulative and insidious nature? I suspect the latter. Perhaps Sousuke does, as well, but his pride will not permit him to admit that anything could conquer him._

Byakuya sat up slowly, wincing at the pain that even such a simple motion caused. He slid to the edge of the bed and sat quietly for a moment, forcing down the discomfort. Slowly, he brought himself to his feet and proceeded on shaky legs to the glass wall of his tower prison cell. His body complained painfully, and he broke out in a sweat, but he stubbornly remained on his feet and studied his surroundings. Oddly, he could look down from the tower and see the sunlit area below him, although the light only extended to the bottom of the false sky, then was blotted out and faded into the starry night sky.

_And I suspect that although I can see down to the desert, the ones down there cannot see me._

He wanted to explore the room in more detail, but faltered and collapsed as he tried to continue walking. Instantly, Hasashi appeared, along with Akira, and the two carefully lifted him and returned him to his bed.

"Byakuya-sama," Hasashi said respectfully, "you must remain in your bed for now. You are not well enough to be up and about. If you need something, just call for Akira, and he will provide it."

"I want a way out of this place," Byakuya said angrily, "He has no right to keep me here!"

"I know you are angry with him, sir," the healer said bracingly, "but we cannot help you to escape. You are carefully protected here. He does not intend for you to be harmed."

"I don't care about that!" Byakuya insisted, his temper flaring, "I am not going to stay here! I despise him!"

"Byakuya-sama, you must calm down. The stress is not good for you."

"Hasashi-san is only trying to help you," insisted Akira, "Please, Byakuya-sama, listen to him and lie down. If you become combative, Aizen-sama will only order us to incapacitate you."

"And besides," added the healer, "You are in no state to be fighting us, anyway. Whatever your differences with our master are, you must set them aside while you are healing. Please, Byakuya-sama, rest. We don't want to see you come to harm."

"Why would you even care?" Byakuya asked softly, "You aren't my servants. You are his. He probably frightened you into this 'concern' by threatening you. I don't need anyone pretending to care for me, while having other motives. I have plenty of that coming from your master himself. This place is full of lies and deceit! Just...get away from me. I can't bear your presence any longer!"

"Then...?"

"I will not get out of bed," the noble said angrily, "Now go!"

Byakuya watched as the two exchanged sorrowful looks and disappeared. He sat quietly in his bed after that, his wounds still stinging and his heart still aching horridly.

_How could I be so stupid?_

_How could I have fallen for someone like him? I don't even know him anymore. I don't know him at all._

_And yet, my heart still aches to be with him._

_Why?_


	24. Doors to a Broken Heart

**Chapter 24: Doors to a Broken Heart**

**(Thanks so much to Geecee (Aww, Spunky loves you too! And Spunky shares you weakness for angry, blushing Byakuya resisting a rather wicked Aizen...wicked, but not cruel), Sariniste (Yeah, I am following canon, so I'll do some maneuvering, starting in this chapter!), Iloveaizenandbyakuya (I will follow canon as closely as possible here!), Rosydigzzz23 (Here's that update!), and SlytherinQueen020 (Byakuya is right to be pissed about what Aizen has done, so in this next chapter, he makes a plan...using Aizen's ultimate weakness! LOL), **

_"Open the doors, Byakuya."_

"Sousuke," Byakuya cried instinctively, sitting up suddenly in bed, then catching his breath as pain shot through his healing chest.

He groaned and fell back, panting softly and gritting his teeth as Aizen appeared suddenly, a short distance away. Byakuya bit his lips against the harsh sensation and met Aizen's eyes wearily.

"Are you all right?" Aizen asked, "Did you need Hasashi to come?"

"N-no," Byakuya replied, recovering himself somewhat, "I just...I was dreaming and woke up suddenly. I didn't actually mean to summon you."

"Is that right?" Aizen said, eyeing him skeptically and moving closer, "because the way I set the enchantment, there must be an actual desire underlying the word. When you said my name, you did, in fact, want me to come to you."

"I was still dreaming," Byakuya said shortly, "We want all sorts of things when we are surrounded by the delusions and fancies of slumber."

Aizen gave him a tolerant smile and sat down in a chair beside the bed. He glanced over at the tray of uneaten food and frowned.

"You are going to worry your healer and attendant if you continue to refuse to eat. You will heal much more quickly if you nourish yourself."

"I am not a child," Byakuya said quietly, "I know that. I simply don't care."

"Sulking is so unbecoming of you," commented the leader of the hollows, "Strategically, it is not likely to get you what you want. I am sure that if you think about it, whether you intend to accept your situation or fight it, you will have more power to expend on those efforts if you take care of yourself."

Byakuya frowned down at his hands for a moment, then looked away.

"Acceptance of my situation is tantamount to joining you in your betrayal of everything I stand for. While attempts to escape are futile..."

"You don't intend to even try?" Aizen asked, interrupting him, "How unlike you."

"Oh, I would eventually escape," Byakuya said, matter-of-factly, "However, for me to go to the effort would require there be a strategic reason for me to do so."

"Surely, you miss your work as a taichou? Your home and family? Your position as clan leader? You must miss Rukia. You went to such efforts to save her..."

"I was the reason she was targeted," Byakuya said solemnly, "You have already admitted that."

"Yes, but...?"

"Then, it follows that if I return to her, it will only give you reason to attack her anyway."

Aizen's brown eyes darkened with rising anger.

"So, you stay only to protect _her_?"

"In part," the noble admitted, "But I also stay because to escape and return would expose to them just how far I was led astray. I do not think that Central 46, the Gotei 13 or my family and friends would respond well to such a disgrace being placed on my name. But the most important thing keeping me here is Amaya. I want to see my daughter again. So, I have no choice but to remain."

"So it seems," agreed Aizen, "but you do not have to make that so uncomfortable a thing. I do not mean for you to suffer unnecessarily."

"If that was true, you would allow me to see her. I am in a guarded, remote tower, injured, and with no means of escape. I see no reason why you couldn't at least let me see her, perhaps only with you here."

Aizen shook his head gently.

"I am afraid that is impossible," he said, looking regretful, "I think you can agree that exposing our infant to the dangerous environment of Hueco Mundo, even carefully would be irresponsible. I told you..."

"I heard what you told me," Byakuya said, sighing and lowering his eyes, "I apologize for inadvertently summoning you. As I said, I have no interest in seeing you."

Aizen nodded and turned away, but paused as Byakuya spoke again.

"Has that abominable thing allowed you to see her or is it concealing her from you too?"

One of Aizen's hands clenched and unclenched.

"I have not seen her," he said quietly, "I too, wait for the day I become king."

"I see," Byakuya said quietly, "Sousuke, don't you think that if the hougyoku is exerting pressure on you to overthrow the king, and it threatened me not to interfere with you. And as it has taken our daughter, that there is something that it wants, that it is trying to get by using you? And if so, then can we really trust that once you have become king, we will get Amaya back safely?"

"We will have Amaya back, once I become king," Aizen said, "We will, Byakuya."

"You seem very convinced of that," Byakuya said, frowning.

He looked up at Aizen, thinking back to what he had said about Rukia, what he had done to get the hougyoku out of her body.

_But that doesn't make sense. He had the hougyoku...didn't he? It threatened me. Was the one inside Rukia another? Are there two?_

"Sousuke, may I ask you something?"

Aizen gazed at him for a moment, then nodded silently.

"You created the hougyoku, did you not?"

"Yes, I did."

"But you also said at Soukyoku Hill that Kisuke created the hougyoku and you followed his research."

"Yes."

"You made the hougyoku that threatened me before, ne? That is the one I remember from before, is it not?"

"It is."

"But you took one from Rukia's body. I saw it."

Aizen's eyes darkened and his voice held warning when he spoke again.

"I have answered enough of your questions. I will take my leave of you now."

_So, there are two...one made by Sousuke and one made by Kisuke. He wanted the one Kisuke made, for some reason, but...why?_

"You should eat something. You want to be sure that you maintain your health so that you will be there to enjoy the return of your daughter."

_'Your' daughter? What is going on? A power struggle? I wouldn't be surprised. Sousuke is the strongest shinigami I've ever seen. But this...thing!_

"Goodbye, Byakuya."

_I need to find a way to connect with Sousuke...to help him fight it._

He waited until Aizen had gone, then climbed carefully out of bed and walked slowly across the room to where he found a comfortable bench seat by the glass wall and sat down. He stared down at the falsely sunlit desert below the naturally dark Hueco Mundo sky, thinking quietly.

_It is obvious that there is a power struggle going on between Sousuke and the hougyoku he created. It pushed him to steal the hougyoku that Kisuke made, for some reason. Could it be trying to increase its power to further overwhelm Sousuke? To take over completely? If so, then the answer is not to alienate Sousuke. I must draw him closer. But the hougyoku is in touch with his mind, so I imagine it knows what he knows. Still, Sousuke is able to fight it, and just as the hougyoku can draw power from the second hougyoku, Sousuke can draw strength from me. I need to lure him back to me._

_But how?_

He looked around the room, thinking quietly, then thought back to the first night Aizen had come to him, when he was a teen. A tentative smile touched his lips as he remembered.

_"Open the doors," _he mouthed almost silently,_ "Byakuya."_

_This was a test of the man's resolve…so it was necessary to test him thoroughly. He laid down on his back on the bed, leaving his yukata open and letting the tie trail down onto his creamy thighs. His head turned so that the moonlight touched his face, he brought his hand to his already thickened member, wrapped it around and began to stroke himself. If the man was weak in his resolve, he would break in. If he was of baser intent, he would be angry and seek revenge. He continued to pleasure himself, half-closing his eyes as the lovely sensations wrapped around his senses and carried him off. His breathing quickened, but he kept himself silent as he stroked his throbbing length and watched the face of the man looking in through his window. The dark eyes that watched him remained calm and focused, though the man's lips quirked and smiled at him. Byakuya's breathing became ragged and his body flushed as though in fever as his pleasure peaked and warm spurts of fluid pulsed out of him, splashing onto his chest and abdomen, leaking down his sated length and onto his stilled hand. Catching the man's eye, he reached down and captured a small amount of the fluid on a pale fingertip, then brought it to his lips and tasted it. It was salty, and not unpleasant at all…and the heated look the man gave him warned Byakuya that further testing was not needed. The man by his door blinked slowly, nodded, and suddenly disappeared._

_Byakuya climbed slowly to his feet, his head still spinning from orgasm and his heart pounding furiously. He walked slowly to the doors and looked out._

_The man was gone._

_He wondered if he was angry…if he felt insulted…if he would leave and not come back. But he had said he would come back again._

_Byakuya tied the belt at his waist and slowly opened his garden doors. He stepped outside and looked around, then finding himself alone, he raised his eyes to look at the full moon. He recoiled in shock as a pair of arms he couldn't see wrapped around him and the man's mouth descended on his. He kissed the stunned noble several times, then brought his lips to a soft earlobe._

_"That was lovely, Byakuya, dear. I know you meant to test me, and I respect your decision. I merely surprised you like this to reward you for entertaining me so thoroughly. I will come back tomorrow. I am interested in seeing what you will decide to do."_

_He left the youth standing alone in the moonlight, his body aching all over to feel the man's touch again._

"Perhaps another test...this one a test of Sousuke's ability to defy the hougyoku," Byakuya whispered, "The thing would love to see me die, and I have to conclude that it has held back from killing me, because doing so would turn Sousuke against it. That suggests that it fears he would be strong enough to resist its impulses. That is it, then..."

He walked back to the bed and settled in again.

"Perhaps a reminder of what brought you to me in the first place," Byakuya breathed, "If I intend to win you back from that thing, I had best be ready to use everything I have to do so."

He slid down under the blankets and turned onto his side, catching the covers and pulling them along, and at the same time, pulling the tie on his yukata, so that when he settled, the covers offered a scandalous glimpse of his bare shoulder, slender torso, one soft buttock and a lovely, pale thigh.

_I know you are watching._

_I wonder how easy it will be to lie down with Gin tonight..._

In the office in his quarters, Aizen Sousuke paused and called up a larger image of his sleeping captive. His eyes softened and hazed lustily at the sight of the noble's lovely and maddeningly partially revealed flesh. His heart quickened and his mouth went dry as Byakuya shifted and the rest of his perfect bottom came into full view. His lips parted and Aizen's heart skipped painfully as the noble loosed his name in a sweet, sleepy sigh.

"Are you coming to bed?" asked Gin from the doorway, startling the spellbound leader of the hollows, "Or are you planning to be there all night?"

Aizen's fingers moved, making the image of the sleeping captive disappear.

"My apologies," he said, looking up, "There is a lot to do. But I suppose it's not going anywhere."

He slid Kyouka Suigetsu out of his sheath, beneath the desk and silently loosed his shikai. At the same time, he brought his reigai double to life, keeping Gin carefully blinded to it, so that all the silver-haired man saw was Aizen shutting down his computer and heading out of the room.

"You look weary," Gin said to the reigai as it left the room with him, "I think you'll need some relaxation before we go to sleep, ne?"

"That actually sounds quite lovely," answered the reigai, smiling, "Come, Gin."

Aizen turned back to the video monitor, from which Byakuya's beautiful, naked body beckoned.

"You are...teasing me again, ne Byakuya?" he whispered, a smile touching his lips as his fingers traced their way down the length of Byakuya's slender back on the video screen.

As though he had really been touched, Byakuya sighed in his sleep and shifted, teasing Aizen with even more revealed flesh.

"Your lips say one thing when you are asleep, and another entirely while you are awake. It suggests a man at war with himself. I am sorry that it is my inclination to make the battle more difficult than easy for you. But...perhaps I can offer you just compensation. Perhaps..."

He shut down his computer and surrounded himself in Kyouka Suigetsu's illusions, then silently made his way up to the hidden tower. He slipped into Byakuya's room and walked to the bed, where he gazed quietly down at the sleeping noble, then undressed and slipped into the bed, beside him. Byakuya flinched and his eyes opened.

"Sousuke?" he said, rubbing his eyes.

Smiling, the leader of the hollows revealed himself.

"That was a lovely little show you put on for me," he said, smirking, "I hope you don't mind if I show you my gratitude by curling up with you tonight."

"What do I have to say about that?" Byakuya asked softly, "I am your captive, ne? If you wish to impose your presence on me, then what can I do?"

Aizen laughed softly.

"You could try asking me to leave," he suggested, "But...as I think it horridly sinful to leave a body so lovely without my close protection all night in such a dangerous place as Las Noches, I don't think I could make myself go."

"Then, it seems I must suffer your presence," Byakuya sighed, settling his head back onto his pillow.

"It seems so," Aizen said, kissing the back of a bare shoulder and curling his body warmly around Byakuya's.

Though he longed to turn and fold himself more firmly into his lover's arms, he restrained himself from doing so. Instead, he made his body pliant and relaxed as he was, leaving it to the other man to initiate what he wanted. For a long time, both men rested quietly, looking out at the stars and moon.

"What did you tell Gin?" Byakuya asked softly.

"Nothing," Aizen whispered, kissing the noble's earlobe, "I didn't wish for him to question any excuse I would make, so I sent the reigai to spend the night with him and I came to you."

Byakuya turned to look him in the eyes.

"Then...how do I know that you are not lying? That you didn't send the reigai to sleep with me and go to Gin, yourself?"

Aizen smiled.

"Me, willingly let someone else, even a _reigai_ double of me, put his hands on you? Perish the thought, Byakuya. I am far too jealous a man for that!"

"You don't concern yourself with someone else touching your other lover, Gin?" the noble asked.

"I told you," Aizen said, coaxing the noble onto his back and lying partially on top of him, "I do not love Gin. I love you. And...as I have the reigai and do not have to be with Gin to keep him close to me for my plans, I will send the reigai to him and I will come to you each night...if that meets with your approval, Byakuya."

"None of what is happening, meets with my approval," the noble said, taking on an unusually vulnerable expression, "However, if this is the only way to win you and Amaya back, then I have no choice."

He watched for one long, dangerous moment as Aizen's face vacillated between anger and regret. He took a worried breath as Aizen's fingers brushed against his throat, then stroked his cheek lightly.

"You have made a wise decision, Byakuya," he said finally, "Your cooperation will make things much easier."

_I will find a way to take you back from that thing, Sousuke. Somehow, I will bring you to your senses._

_Somehow..._


	25. What was and What is

**Chapter 25: What was and what is**

**(Thanks so much for your continued support of this story. And my deepest gratitude to reviewers Cptn. Suz (I'd say that the hougyoku has some very capable competition. But Bya is going to have to proceed cautiously!), Geecee (That lovely mixture of naughtiness and danger extends into this chapter...meaning HOT STUFF AHEAD!), Sariniste (Aizen will coax him into taking better care of himself, while completely enjoying himself doing so! LOL), Iloveaizenandbyakuya (Oh yes! Prepare for nosebleeds...that is plural!), and SlytherinQueen020 (Byakuya has some ideas about how to fight the hougyoku, but it will be something unintentional that opens Aizen's eyes to the truly insidious nature of the thing he created.). Enjoy the new chapter! Love, Spunky) **

Byakuya laid quietly on his back with his yukata open and a naked Aizen Sousuke pressed up against his side, half sleeping. The noble stared up into the sky above the dome, enjoying the loveliness of the view, despite his circumstances, while Aizen's hand slowly explored his exposed flesh, first lingering over his healing chest wound and offering a warm flow of reiatsu to soothe it, lazily following the curves of pale breast and soft belly, then tracing the lines of hip and thigh and moving on to touch him more intimately.

_It is odd that his touch feels so natural, but at the same time, so strange, considering how long we have been apart. The last time we were together sexually was when Hisana died and I started to lose my mind. I think he saw then how I could not stand the constant feeling of loss, and he took the memories to ease the pain for me._

_But that left him alone, facing the loss of Amaya and the danger of the hougyoku. He always seems so determined not to rely on anyone, but this is a danger we should face together. As powerful as he is, the hougyoku is a crafty spirit, getting inside his mind like that and making him go against his own nature. Yes, Aizen Sousuke does not depend on others. He does not trust others. Yet he does depend on and trust the hougyoku more than is natural for him. I cannot help but think that it gained some kind of control over him long ago and used the pain that resulted from the way he was treated by the Central 46 council to entice him into this wicked plan of his. _

_Yes, the hougyoku has odd powers...the power to grant the desires of the ones around it. But, as I learned when I became pregnant with Amaya, it is capable of using that power to manipulate. It caused me to become pregnant, knowing that it would cause disagreement between Sousuke and me, and that, being a male and not made for pregnancy, it would endanger my life. The hougyoku uses its powers relentlessly to pursue its own ends. _

_Sousuke told me once that he hadn't, at first, desired revenge. He wanted justice. He wanted to be given the same right to exist peacefully in our society, without Central 46 interfering in his life and trying to control him. Making the hougyoku was a defensive act, then. I think he did so, thinking to use the device somehow to gain that acceptance, that normality he wanted._

_But the hougyoku sent Sousuke down a much darker path, invading his mind with thoughts of, not just justice, but revenge. And it worked so subtly that Sousuke himself did not see what it was doing. By the time he realized what was happening, the thing had taken Amaya._

_Yes, taking Amaya proves that the hougyoku was exerting its will on Sousuke, and that it still is. It uses Sousuke's love for us to manipulate him. But there has to be a way to stop it, to overcome it, to destroy it...to bring our daughter back to us and free Sousuke._

_But how?_

"You look conflicted," Aizen said, startling the noble out of the reverie he had gone into.

Byakuya looked into the man's eyes, trying to find the truth of what was happening, the way to the answers, but nothing suggested itself to him.

"I am just trying to get my bearings. It has been many years since we were together like this...even more since we were lovers, Sousuke. It feels both familiar and odd to be touched by you."

"Yes," Aizen sighed, running his fingers along one soft inner thigh and kissing him lightly on the throat, "I would say the same, but I must admit with some guilt that my craving for you over the years was so strong that I very often used my zanpakutou while with Gin to fool myself into believing that I was with you."

Byakuya frowned.

"Is that supposed to reduce my disgust at the idea of you going to bed with that snake?" he asked unhappily.

"No," Aizen said, smiling and running his fingers through the noble's fine hair, "But it should reassure you that I did not enjoy the long years without you either, Byakuya."

Byakuya fought down the urge to point out how the hougyoku had been the impetus for their separation.

_There is no point in repeating what we already know. And I am not going to win him back from it by alienating myself from him with accusations._

"This is wrong," Byakuya said, his eyes still on the stars above them, "We shouldn't be in this dead place and in such circumstances. We should be sharing a home and raising our daughter together. That is all that I want, Sousuke. Is that such a bad thing?"

"No," Aizen said, kissing him, "There is nothing wrong with wanting those things, and we will have them, Byakuya. Things are difficult now, but we are closing in on that time when we will have what we want. But...if you want to be there to enjoy what we have fought for, then you must take care of yourself."

He reached over to the untouched food tray and picked up a pomegranate. As Byakuya watched, he peeled back the skin and carefully removed four red seeds. He placed one between his lips and kissed Byakuya again, using his tongue to push the red seed into the noble's mouth, where it rolled around between their entwined tongues as they kissed. He withdrew and watched Byakuya eat the juicy red seed, then smilingly offered him another. He watched as Byakuya ate the second seed, then fed him another and another, until he had consumed all four. Then, he laid his head on the noble's shoulder and looked up at the stars.

"I am certain that, being as well read as you are, you know the story of Hades and Persephone, ne Byakuya?"

"Of course," said the noble, looking at him curiously, "Hades fell in love with Persephone at first sight, and stole her away, where he held her captive in the underworld. Her mother searched endlessly for her, and when she learned that Hades had taken her and made her his wife, she refused to let things grow. Zeus prevailed upon Hades to release the girl, which he finally agreed to do. But before she left, he persuaded her to eat four pomegranate seeds, thus requiring her to return to the underworld for four months of every year."

"I have a somewhat different interpretation of that story," Aizen said, his warm breath teasing Byakuya's earlobe, "You see, I think that Persephone was something like you...quiet and well-behaved, respectable at the surface, but...possessed of a wilder side. That side of her delighted in being stolen away by the handsome devil, Hades, and wanted to stay with him, but felt obligated to return to the mother, who mourned her. I do not think she was so much tricked into eating those seeds, but that she partook of them willingly, so that she could have it both ways. Like you, she was caught between the good child she was supposed to be and the wilder one that Hades brought out of her."

"Is that how it was?" Byakuya asked softly, his dark eyes fastened on Aizen's, "And do you really think that anything of that foolish boy I used to be has survived all of this time? Because I wonder..."

"Oh, I think it has," Aizen assured him, "But before that person can surface, there is damage to undo. You must work with your healer, Byakuya. I want you to get well, so that we can explore together just how much of that deliciously passionate young man still exists in you."

Byakuya gave him a sudden, tentative smile that made his heart skip.

"I do not think that it is healing that will awaken that side of me, though I will try to be more cooperative so that I will be able to be reunited with Amaya."

"Oh?"

"I think that side of me has already started to awaken on its own. It was that part of me that sought to lure you here, even as my waking mind protested."

"Was it, now?"

Byakuya nodded.

"And even now, it makes me hunger for something that only you can give me...a soul feeding that will bring more healing than food ever could."

Aizen smiled and started to gently refuse, but was frozen in place as Byakuya turned and captured his mouth in a long, deep kiss. Still sweet with the juice of the pomegranate seeds he had been eating, his kiss was so enticing that despite his concerns for his injured lover, Aizen feasted on Byakuya's succulent mouth, closing his eyes and searching out every last trace of that lovely sweetness. He started to protest as Byakuya's mouth left his and began to plunder the soft skin of his throat, but found himself breathless as the noble's soft hands joined his mouth in relearning the pleasant expanse of his lover's body. Graceful fingertips unhurriedly traced the lines of collarbone and breast, teasing the other man's nipples lightly, then he plundered each with a wonderfully sinful, voracious mouth.

"You really shouldn't exert yourself like this, you know," Aizen whispered, "Your reiatsu is..."

He lost his breath again as Byakuya's warm lips made a line of soft kisses down to his navel, where an insistent tongue sank inside, sending Aizen's mind arcing back the early days of their love affair...stolen moments when the Kuchiki heir had honored him with just such a spirited exploration.

_"But I told you, Byakuya. Gin will be back in a moment. We should wait until later. Why don't you come back after...?"_

_"I don't want to wait until later," Byakuya said, letting his hakama fall to the floor and climbing onto Aizen's lap, "So you should perhaps use your shikai to cover up what we are doing, or this could get embarrassing for both of us."_

_"Oh...you are in an aggressive mood today," the elder shinigami said, invoking his power as the door opened and Gin walked in._

_Byakuya positioned himself over Aizen's exposed member, taking him inside in a series of short, careful thrusts as Gin walked to Aizen's desk and set several reports in his inbox._

_"Greetings, Aizen taichou," the silver-haired shinigami said, not noticing at all, the half-naked noble youth, perched on Aizen's lap, rising and falling on his very aroused cock._

_"I trust your fukutaichou's meeting went well?" Aizen answered, wrapping his hands around Byakuya's bare bottom and encouraging him to move faster._

_"Oh yes, fine," Gin answered, turning towards his desk, "Though your little noble playmate wasn't there."_

_"Oh?"_

_"I hope this doesn't mean you two were arguing," Gin said, smirking, "I would hate to think he'd be off taking comfort from someone else behind your back."_

_"Not likely," Aizen said, standing and holding onto Byakuya's bare hips as the younger shinigami fell back onto the top of Aizen's desk and tightened his legs around his elder lover's torso._

_He leaned over Byakuya, looking down into the noble's lustily glazed over eyes, entangling their fingers together and holding his hands down on either side of his head as he began thrusting into him._

_"Are you sure about that?" Gin asked, teasingly._

_"Oh," said Aizen, lowering his head and fucking the pretty young noble harder, "I am positive."_

_"I hope so," Gin said, shaking his head and losing interest._

_He sat down at his desk and pored over reports, asking the occasional question, completely oblivious to the scandalous display going on a few feet away from him. Byakuya's hisses of delight and rapturous moans reached only Aizen's ears and his own, taunting the elder shinigami into penetrating his lover more vigorously and adding his own moans of arousal to the delightfully wicked scene. He nearly lost control of his shikai, as enchanted as he was at the sight of Byakuya's lithe, writhing body spread out across his desk, his long, black hair freed of his hair tie and spilled out around his head, and his dark gray eyes laughing at how Gin sat a short distance away and noticed nothing._

_Byakuya gasped and grabbed onto Aizen's shoulders, his eyes growing panicked as the door opened and Kuchiki Ginrei entered the room._

_"Pardon me for the intrusion, Aizen taichou, but have you seen my fukutaichou? He left on an errand that would have brought him here for a time, but he should have returned by now."_

_Byakuya sighed in relief, panting and sweating as Aizen's hand wrapped around his stiff member, stroking it as he continued his loving assault on the young noble's body._

_"He is assisting me with some delicate research, at the moment," Aizen replied placidly, "but I will let him know to return to you when our work is finished."_

_"Ah," said Ginrei, missing entirely the sweet sounds of pleasure that erupted from Byakuya's pretty lips as he began to climax, "Arigato, Aizen taichou."_

_"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you," said Aizen, gripping Byakuya's white bottom tightly and filling the near delirious noble with his blazing seed._

_He watched as Ginrei left, then bent and slowly...meticulously licked away every trace of Byakuya's pearly release. Byakuya's fingers teased his hair affectionately and his sleepy, sated eyes showed the depths of his emotion without him having to utter a word. But he yielded the words anyway, sending a warm lovely throb through his elder lover's heart and making him smile as he lifted himself away and helped the young noble to his feet._

_"I love you, Aizen taichou."_

_"I love you too. Go on now. You don't want to keep your taichou waiting."_

_Byakuya's lips curved upward cutely._

_"Do you really want to let me go so soon?" he asked, letting the rest of his clothes fall away, "Perhaps you could send along an illusion and we could adjourn to your bedroom for a while?"_

_"Hmmm," said Aizen, enjoying the view of his lover's bare body, "You seem bent on testing my limits today, ne Byakuya?"_

_"Do I?" Byakuya asked, looking at him with undisguised lust, "Perhaps you should punish me?"_

_"Don't tempt me..."_

"Byakuya..." Aizen moaned, watching raptly as the noble continued to kiss his way downward from his navel, following the line of fine, brown hairs, disturbing them wantonly with his lips, and moving closer to his lover's swollen, wet member, "How can you do this? You know everything now...and have every reason to despise me. How can you still look at me with such hunger in your eyes? How can you trust me not to kill you on a whim, so convinced as you are that the hougyoku controls me?"

Byakuya lifted his head and the noble's dark, beautiful eyes fastened on his.

"If the hougyoku had control of you, then Amaya would not be concealed. She would not even exist. And it would have made you kill me by now. I am not saying that it won't. I am only following my heart...and it tells me that we are too deeply connected to lose each other now."

"But, I have..."

"Whatever you have done, you are still my lover, Sousuke. I will do as I must to hold on to that love. You have safeguarded my honor by placing the reigai in my stead while you brought me here. You hold me captive so that I cannot be accused of treason. The hougyoku has no reason to protect me...except that, protecting me means something to you. And that tells me that the battle is not over."

"Do not say any more," Aizen warned him suddenly, his eyes darkening dangerously.

Byakuya gazed at him quietly for a moment, then nodded in acquiescence. He sat up in the bed and waited as Aizen laid in silence for several long minutes, then seemed to regain his composure. Then he lowered himself down between the older man's parted thighs and tasted the fluid that had bled out onto Aizen's aroused member.

"You know, I should not be making love to you while you are still healing," Aizen said, shaking his head, "At very least, I should make you eat something so that you will not faint from the exertion."

Byakuya's soft, pink tongue tasted him again, and the noble met his eyes, almost smiling.

"I need nothing that my lover cannot give me," he whispered, wrapping his pretty lips around Aizen's flushed penis and treating it to a delight of wet strokes, kisses and warm suction. One pale hand gripped his inner thigh and the other pleasured him shamelessly, caressing the soft sac beneath his riled length then gently teasing his entrance. Aizen groaned in bliss as Byakuya's fingers penetrated him, stimulating the sensitive nerves inside him and the noble's mouth continued it's loving assault on his arousal. Within moments, he was overcome...gasping and moaning his lover's name as his body seized and shuddered in the throes of release.

And even more compelling than the intense throbs of pleasure, was the sight of Byakuya, naked and with half-closed eyes, feeding on his essence as though his hunger for his lover was insatiable. He swallowed repeatedly as Aizen caressed his cheek with shaking fingertips. As he lifted himself away, the elder man rose up and brought him down into the bed on his back, plunging into the noble's mouth and sharing in the beauty of their joined flavors. Byakuya's hips thrust upward into his, seeking friction as they continued to exchange long, wet kisses.

"We should stop," Aizen managed between the heavy bouts of kissing, "This is not good for..."

"Sousuke," Byakuya whispered seductively, "If you deny me, then you will only find yourself watching as I relieve the ache myself. Perhaps you enjoy this, but..."

Aizen smiled.

"I think it would be wiser to see to it myself," he chuckled softly, "Then, when you are overcome, I can breathe life back into you."

Aizen sat up and pulled Byakuya onto his lap, surrendering to another flurry of kisses as they thrust against each other. He stroked his own reawakening length, then coaxed the flustered noble onto it, holding onto his hips to make sure he did not hurt his injured lover by entering him too roughly. He wrapped a hand around Byakuya's damp, thickened member, sliding up and down the noble's length as Byakuya rose and fell on his renewed erection. He curled his other arm around Byakuya's sweat-misted back, holding him tightly and plundering his mouth eagerly. He felt Byakuya quiver and heard him make a soft, beautiful sound of completion, so deliciously passionate that it sent him tumbling into the throes of an even more powerful orgasm than the first.

"S-sousuke!" the noble moaned senselessly, collapsing against him and panting heavily as Aizen's hot seed filled him and his own release spilled out onto their skin.

Aizen smiled and lowered him into his back on the bed, then fastened his eyes on Byakuya's and slowly licked the pearly fluid from his flushed skin. He laid down next to the noble and smiled as Byakuya turned and curled into his arms, resting his head on his lover's sweat dampened shoulder.

"Will you eat something now?" Aizen asked quietly, tracing Byakuya's lips with a gentle fingertip.

"If it pleases you," Byakuya whispered, parting his lips and accepting a soft, ripe berry from his lover's fingertips.

He managed several, before loosing a gentle sigh and drifting off to sleep. Aizen Sousuke laid on his back, with Byakuya sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, one slender hand resting on his chest only inches from where the hougyoku was concealed.

_You play a dangerous game, _the hougyoku whispered into Aizen's mind, _You had best be very careful, Aizen Sousuke, or I will destroy both if them in a heartbeat._


	26. Slowly Fading

**Chapter 26: Slowly Fading**

**(Warning, Spunky is in a very angsty mood today...But thanks to sweet reviewers Common Muggle (Thanks for giving me a nudge to help motivate me to finish this chapter!), Geecee (So glad you enjoyed the Hades and Persephone story. I love making mythology connections!), Safa56bmc (The hougyoku is about to realize the danger it has put itself in...), JJ (Oh, I love nasty, lusty Aizen too!), RosyDigzzz23 (You are welcome for the lovely smex!), Iloveaizenandbyakuya (It was worth the nosebleed to see those two all over each other while Gin and Ginrei were oblivious!), SlytherinQueen020 (I love Kyouka Suigetsu too! So much potential for nasty misbehavior!) and Sariniste (This chpater's pretty sad to go with my blues today, but thing will get better again soon for them. Spunky haz plan!) )**

**(Three Months Later)**

Byakuya sat silently in the window seat in the hidden tower, his legs curled under him and the side of his face rested against the windowpane. He could feel Rukia's presence somewhere nearby, although without his powers, sensing the exact direction and distance was impossible. He sensed too, the presence of Orihime in another tower nearby, as well as the additional presences of Renji, Chad, Uryu and, of course, Ichigo.

_Someone needs to teach those two to conceal their reiatsu. I know I've cautioned Renji about it on numerous occasions, and Urahara should have instructed Ichigo better. They are going to attract every hollow in Hueco Mundo. I don't even have my powers and I sense them easily._

_And with Rukia in harm's way and being locked up inside this tower, myself..._

He wondered what actions his reigai replacement was taking, and marveled at the possibility that everyone could be so fooled by the special mod soul.

_That is frightening technology, to be sure._

He tried to distract himself with other things, the moon and stars up above him, memories of his loved ones' voices, and thinking of what he would be doing if back in the Seireitei.

_Preparing for war._

_Yes, _he thought, rubbing his slim abdomen absently, _Had I not been brought here, I would be with them, bracing for war, with no idea that I had ever been involved with Sousuke._

_And I would not be pregnant and trying again to hide it from him._

_I don't know how I have managed to keep the healer from noticing the signs, but I think that it is that my own reiatsu is so depleted, the baby's seems to just balance mine and make it seem somewhat more normal. But I cannot deprive myself forever. Sooner or later, something is going to give._

Aizen stepped into the tower room, and frowned, noting that, once again, the noble had barely touched the food he had been given.

"Byakuya," he said quietly.

The noble closed his eyes for a moment, then turned his head to look at the other man.

"You are still anxious."

"How could I not be?" Byakuya asked softly, his eyes turning back towards the desert and his breath lightly misting the windowpane, "I am a taichou...and my subordinates are going into battle without me. And they are striving to stop you. _I_ want you to stop. Sousuke, I know what you are going to do. The hougyoku spoke it to me as you slept last night. And I wonder how the person I know could do such a thing. It only makes me more convinced that this thing controls you. I don't want to believe that you would do this...that you would callously destroy a million souls, end a million lives, for the sake of gaining power."

"Do not do this, watashi no koi," Aizen said, placing a hand on Byakuya's shoulder, "You must focus on other things...and not think of these things that could lead you to act rashly."

"I try not to dwell on it," the noble said softly, "But it wears on me, Sousuke. Not just the weeks and months we have spent in this place...But to think that the hands that touch me every day, every night, with such affection could kill without hesitation. And worse, that they would take the lives of innocent people, who never did anything to you. The hougyoku wanted me to dwell on these things, Sousuke. It feeds on my desperation. It does so because it knows my nature, and that...soon, I will not be able to stop myself. I will be forced to try to stop you somehow."

Aizen gave him a quiet, too-tolerant look, and in addition to the man's own belligerence, Byakuya could almost feel the wicked stone's laughter at his pain.

_Sousuke...Sousuke, what is happening to you? It seems less and less like you every day...as though that thing steals more and more of you!_

"Do you honestly think that you could stop me, Byakuya? That you could kill me?" Aizen said, shaking his head, "Be reassured, then, that you could not. The only thing that you would guarantee is that you would die."

"But even dying that way would be a more honorable thing than living with this...this horrendous feeling that I have abandoned those people...that I haven't done everything within my power to protect them, as I am sworn to do. I sit in this tower, staring down at where they struggle to stay alive. Yes, I know that you have taken the girl, Orihime, and that Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, Renji and Rukia have all come to Hueco Mundo to free her. The hougyoku takes great pleasure in tormenting me with the details."

Aizen studied him for a moment, then sighed and lowered his eyes.

"I could have Rukia captured and brought here," he offered, "Then, she would be safe with you."

"No," the noble said solemnly, "I could not bear to have her know the details of my actions. I already do not know if I can live with the knowledge, myself."

"Byakuya."

"I have taken the coward's way out."

"Byakuya, I abducted you."

"It doesn't matter," Byakuya said in a low voice, "because I laid with you after that."

Aizen shook his head.

"It could be said that...I manipulated you..."

"I would still know the truth. No...no, I cannot lie about this...not to them, and not to myself."

"Would you prefer that I leave you here alone?" Aizen asked, "That I do not fall asleep in your presence? Would that ease your mind, Byakuya?"

"Do as you will," Byakuya said softly, "And I will do as I must."

Aizen's eyes darkened.

"I did not want this," he said quietly, "To see you riled and tormented to the point of self-destructiveness. I will take my leave of you now, and I will see that the hougyoku does not torture your mind anymore."

Byakuya said nothing, but only waited silently, staring down at the desert below him. He waited until Aizen was gone and the room became so quiet that the silence rang in his ears like firebells. Finally, the door opened, and the old healer and attendant entered the room. Byakuya sat quietly as he was gently examined. Within moments, he could tell that the healer had finally sensed that something was off, and several minutes later, the old man sighed and closed his eyes.

"Akira, will you please go and make Byakuya-sama some fresh tea," he said quietly, "And put a bit of ginger in it. That should be soothing."

He waited until the attendant had gone, then opened his eyes again and looked at Byakuya questioningly.

"How long have you been aware?" he asked.

"About two months," answered the noble, "I do not suppose that you would consider not telling _him_?"

The healer sighed.

"He will sense it anyway, soon. You are going to have to tell him."

"I cannot let him find out," Byakuya said firmly, "The hougyoku has already taken my daughter. I will not lose this child too."

The healer's face registered surprise at the mention of the other child, then softened in sympathy.

"I am sorry, Byakuya-sama," he said sadly, "I do what I can to make you more comfortable, but I cannot free you. You know that he made it impossible for us to do so."

"I understand," the noble whispered, turning away to rest his face against the windowpane again, "Will you leave me now?"

Hasashi hesitated, studying Byakuya's overly pale skin and too thin frame.

"The baby is healthy. But your reiatsu is dangerously low. You simply must eat more or your body will continue to decline. As you grow closer to your due date and the child's needs grow, your body will favor the child, and you will weaken. You will die in childbirth if you do not cease this self-destructive behavior. And, in fact, you may die even sooner. You are taking too many chances with your health the way things are."

"I cannot lose another child," Byakuya said, closing his eyes, "My heart simply cannot bear another loss like that."

"But your body cannot go on like this. Please, Byakuya-sama, when Akira returns, you must try to nourish yourself. You want to be here to love and care for this child, ne?"

"If the hougyoku has its way, then this child and I will die before the child is born."

They left off their conversation as Akira returned with a tray that held the ginger tea, fruit, crackers, dried meats and cheese. He set the tray on the small table next to the noble and smiled at him hopefully.

"Here you are, Byakuya-sama. Please, try to eat something."

"Arigato," Byakuya said absently, "Just leave it."

Akira's face fell.

"Byakuya-sama..."

Hasashi touched the youth's arm and shook his head gently, making Akira go silent. He took a last sad glance at the noble, then silently exited the room, leaving Byakuya alone with the healer.

"Listen to the boy," he advised the troubled noble, "You must take care of yourself so that when the time comes, you can help this baby make his or her entrance into the world."

"What good will that do?" Byakuya asked, still staring out at the dark sky, "The child will just be taken away from me. Go now. I wish to be alone."

"But you need a reiatsu infusion," the healer objected, "You are..."

"Later."

The healer's lips tightened, but he bowed briefly and left the room. Byakuya continued to stare out the window, his stomach aching for food and his heart unbearably empty.

_I thought that our love could get us through anything...but...I cannot bear this._

_I cannot..._

He left the window seat without touching his food and started back towards the bed.

Halfway there, spots began to dance in front of his eyes and his legs gave way beneath him.

_I no longer no what to hope for._

_I no longer know what to fight for._

_All I know is that I ache for Sousuke, for this child, for myself, and for her..._

_Amaya...I still hear her crying._

XXXXXXXXXX

"You push him too hard," Aizen said in a low voice, "Byakuya begins to crumble under the weight of what is happening. And you tormenting his mind as you do has only made him less stable. I warned you that if you hurt or killed him, it would weaken my resolve."

_Are you threatening to back out? _the hougyoku hissed softly, _We have come too far for that. And, in any case, you might remember that if you fail in this, your daughter is lost._

"I do not need to make threats," Aizen said, his eyes narrowing, "I was simply speaking about the fact that how you treat Byakuya, the things that you do to him, also have an effect on me. You call this weakness, but it is simply nature."

_It is not my nature. And, Aizen Sousuke, it is clear to me that the feelings you have for this man are destructively obsessive. You coddle and cater to him, allowing important things to be left unattended while you dote upon him._

"I love Byakuya, yes," admitted Aizen, "Our passion for each other has spanned nearly a hundred years, and has come through wrenching twists of fate...some of them brought on by your own interference. And it would not be true love if it did not inspire me to fight for it."

_I do not understand love, _said the hougyoku, _I understand desire...longings...devotion to a purpose. I grant the wishes and dreams of others, but Byakuya was correct when he surmised that I did so because of my own desires. I admit freely that I fight to become king for two reasons._

"And those are?"

_I fight for life, and I fight for the free will that others have._

Aizen frowned.

"But you are not a living thing," he mused, "You are a construct, something I created to serve my need for revenge for what was done to me."

_But somewhere along the way, it began to matter that I was being used and received nothing in return._

"I fed you thousands of souls to build your power. I fed you the other hougyoku. I have done whatever you needed to strengthen you," argued Aizen.

_But what use is great strength...extreme power, if I have no power over its use? You didn't do those things for me...but for your own goals. But now, within sight of those goals, your resolve begins to erode. I wonder if I was wrong about you. I wonder if you are strong enough..._

"You will not find a stronger shinigami or being in existence," Aizen said warningly, "So if you are thinking of abandoning me..."

_I am more concerned about you abandoning me._

"I would gain nothing by doing so."

_But Byakuya would adore you for not taking those million lives in Karakura Town._

"Byakuya's love for me is as great as mine for him. He will be able to forgive me...if you do not push him over the edge. Do not interfere with him...and know this. If Byakuya suffers great injury or death because of your actions against him, then I cannot guarantee my resolve in this task. Keep him well, and you keep me well."

Aizen stirred and opened his eyes as a soft, but insistent knock sounded on the door. He looked up from where he knelt on the floor.

"Come in."

The door opened and a teary-eyed Akira burst into the room.

"Aizen-sama, you must come quickly! Hasashi-san says that it is urgent. It is Byakuya-sama!"

Aizen's brown eyes grew dangerously intense, and he left the young attendant behind and flash stepped through the fortress to the tower in which the noble was concealed. He raced up the stairs and into the hidden room, where he found Hasashi at the noble's bedside. Byakuya laid still on the bed, far paler than normal and looking to be unconscious.

"What is it!" he demanded, "What happened to him?"

"I was not aware," said the healer, "perhaps because his reiatsu has been so weak...usually when there is a pregnancy, the reiatsu is affected, but his is so weak that..."

"Byakuya is pregnant?" Aizen asked, looking down at the unconscious noble and wearing a stunned expression.

"He is," said the healer, "But he has been depriving himself, as you know. And now it seems that the reason he has done this was to hide the fact."

"Hide it?" the leader of the hollows said, his reiatsu flaring, "Why would he...?"

Understanding registered in his eyes. The healer saw it and went on quickly.

"Aizen-sama, he is too overwrought by the things that weigh on him. I do not know what those things are, but it has pushed him to the ends of his strength. He has collapsed and lost consciousness. And if something is not done to bring him out of this, then he is going to die, and he will take this child with him. Aizen-sama, you must do something! Byakuya-sama loves you. There must be _something_ that you can do or say that can stir him!"

Hasashi watched breathlessly as Aizen's eyes darkened and hazed over, and he seemed to suffer some kind of internal struggle. Several minutes passed before he blinked and seemed to regain himself. He glanced at the healer, then at Byakuya's sniffling attendant.

"Leave us," he said quietly.

Hasashi and Akira exchanged quiet, sad glances and left the tower.

Aizen sat down on the bed and pulled Byakuya's limp body into his arms. He threaded his fingers through the noble's soft, sakura scented hair and whispered into his ear.

"I am sorry, Byakuya. It seems that when we are apart, we only long for each other, but being together, we slowly drain each other of strength. I will not let you die. And now, we have another child to consider. I love you too much to let you go, but keeping you here is too much of a weight for you to bear. I do not know what to do. And now, I can't even ask you."

_Listen to me, _the hougyoku whispered into his mind, _I know how to keep all three of them alive and how to strengthen your resolve so that you can win your way to the crown._

"And what is that?"

_I will do the same to him as I did with your daughter._

"I told you, no!"

_And I am telling you that he will die if you do not. You risk nothing. If you become king, you are free to claim them. And if, perchance our efforts fail and we are defeated, then they will return as my power over them fades. Either way, your loved ones will live._

Aizen went quiet, holding the unconscious noble against him and breathing in his scent.

"I have your word that they will not be harmed by this?" he asked, touching Byakuya's face, "And that, win or lose, you will free them at the end of the war?"

_You have my word._

Aizen hesitated, holding Byakuya tightly and offering him a final kiss. He caught his breath in surprise as the noble's eyes opened and met his.

"S-sousuke...?"

"Shh," Aizen whispered, resting his face against Byakuya's, "Sleep. Everything will be all right. You have my word. I promise you. And when you wake and the war is over, I will marry you...just as you wanted."

Byakuya gazed back at him through startled eyes as the hougyoku's power wrapped around him, and his body began to shimmer with white light.

"Sousuke!" he said again, breathlessly.

"It will be all right," Aizen said, closing his eyes against the brightness as Byakuya slowly disappeared, "We will be together again soon. I promise."

His arms suddenly empty, he stood and stared down at the place where Byakuya had been. The silence in the room closed in on him from all sides and he couldn't leave the room behind quickly enough.

Even breaking free of it, his heart felt the harsh and poignant ache of deep solitude.

_That was why we sought each other...why we clung together and always found our way back to each other. We both felt that deep silence when we were alone, and we escaped it by taking shelter in each other. We will have that again soon, Byakuya._

_Soon, we will be together again._

_We will be the family that you wanted us to be._


	27. The Awakening

**Chapter 27: The Awakening**

_What fools we are, Byakuya, _Aizen thought to himself as he looked down from the empty tower, his eyes focused on the explosions of kido and cero happening somewhere below him, and avoiding all connection with the cold, empty bed behind him, _that we would ever believe that something so fragile as love could survive in worlds like ours?_

His fingers traveled to the luminescent stone embedded in his chest.

"I think we both knew from the very beginning," he said softly, his breath misting the inside of the thick glass, "that justice wasn't something we could depend on. You learned, early on, to pursue it with your honor and values guiding you in the fight, and to accept that you could lose, but to fight anyway...placing your faith in mind, body and heart to be strong enough. I was strong from the beginning, but chose not to burden and weaken myself by relying on faith and trust in anyone else. If the way wouldn't open, I would find a way to open it. Failure was never an option. Power...knowledge...and faith in myself were the only things I needed."

He paused, closing his eyes and catching a hint of sakura that still remained in the deserted room.

"You placed your faith in the combined strength of yourself and your comrades. You trained endlessly to play your own part and trusted others to be driven to that same end. And ironically, now you cannot move to help them as they flounder and struggle down there, beneath us. You have faith, you trust and you depend on their love and loyalty to save you. But now you lie beyond where they can ever reach, and they do not even know you are gone. And even if they realize, at some point that you are gone, they cannot reach you. All of the things that you trusted in have failed. Does this mean that my path was the correct one, then?"

He took a slow breath, looked up at the shining, crescent moon above him, and let it out again.

"I learned, as a child, that I could not depend on justice. I could not trust. I could not have faith. Because when I believed in those tenets, they abandoned me. I stood before a group of old, wise men as a child. And those men judged me, labeled me as 'chaff' and were ready to throw me away. And I learned then that there was no justice, just old men protecting what mattered to them. There was no trust, because by encouraging me to trust their judgment, they were assuring themselves of a way to win, even though they knew I was stronger, and more powerful than they were. Had I indulged in blind faith that they would protect my rights to freedom and choice, I would have lost those very things without a fight. And it is only by fighting with everything I have that I will ensure that no one ever takes my choices away."

He shivered as Byakuya's ghostly, echoing voice rose out of his conscience, speaking words that chilled him inside.

_But do you not see where you have already failed?_

"I don't understand. I stand on the cusp of victory, just awaiting the moment to reach out and grasp it. It has been more than a hundred years in the making, but when this is done, I will have you back. I will have our daughter and this other child. And I will be assured that no one will ever steal my choices away."

_But Sousuke, _the noble's ethereal voice went on, _do you not see the flaw in your theory? You say that you depend on your own power. You say that you fight for justice, for freedom, for choices. The truth is that what you thought of as fighting under your own power, abandoning trust, loyalty, and the bonds of nakama...is not really that._

Aizen's fingers stroked the hougyoku, and he felt the burn of its power beneath his flesh.

"What were you saying to me, Byakuya? What were you trying to tell me before? Have I not easily taken every step I set for myself? Am I not about to achieve victory? How then am I wrong?"

The hougyoku flared warningly.

_You have not abandoned faith, trust, nor the bonds of love._

The stone's power flared and wrapped around his heart, and he saw clearly, the path to the crown.

_But more importantly, to the return of my lover and my children._

"But this is just what I warned myself not to do," he chided himself, "To be distracted from my goal is a reckless thing. And my goal is the crown."

_Is it really? _Byakuya's voice whispered, _Is that what you risk everything for, or are you lying to yourself?_

The hougyoku's power flared again, burning against his mind and trying to drown out the noble's voice.

_You wanted justice, but there was no justice, _it hissed, _You made me to secure your path, to build up your powers. You put your faith in me to help you stand in a place where you would never have your fate decided by anyone but you...and in the next hours, I will take you there._

"Why does that feel like irony?" Aizen whispered, "Why do I hear Byakuya laugh so sadly at that?"

_It is time._

As he stepped away from the glass, it almost seemed as though it was someone else taking the steps, and although the pathway to victory was laid open, and he knew that he could not be defeated, there was a heaviness on his heart.

_Focus on the justice you long to control. Focus on how you will tie the hands of fate, so that she will never snare you again. Focus on the power that will let you stand alone at the top, and never be equaled._

With those words echoing inside him, he turned back and, closing his eyes to avoid the sight of the rumpled, empty bed, he left the hidden tower. He fell in with Gin and Tousen and watched closely as the way into the living world was opened.

_You wanted control over fate, and now you will control the fates of everyone. With a wave of your hand, you will decide the fate of a million souls that will open your way to the king...the king whose justice failed you...the king who would have let your choices be taken from you...the king who asked for your trust and then turned a blind eye as his own nobles used your trust against you! He will not defeat you. He will fall, and then fate will rest in your hands. The three worlds will rest in your hands. That power, that control, will make all of your ambitions into reality._

As he took the steps leading him out of Hueco Mundo, he looked down and spotted a shinigami, kneeling on the sand, with the young healer, Hanatarou, at his side. And although he knew it was only the reigai, he drank in the image of the strong, beautiful taichou that Byakuya had been.

_Yes, _the hougyoku whispered in his mind, _see where his dependence on faith in the Gotei 13, loving other weaker people, and trusting in them to fight alongside him have all failed. Only you can affect his future now. Only you can free him with your actions._

He looked away from the reigai and continued on, passing into the living world and smiling as his shadow fell over Karakura Town. He quietly accepted Soutaichou's wall of fire around him, so casually uncaring about how the battles were going. The Espadas and even the two powerful shinigamis standing amidst the flames with him meant nothing. Only fodder meant to beat the fighters down, they weakened the Gotei 13 forces, making his task of overcoming them easier, whether they won or lost.

And it was just as the hougyoku had promised.

Battle by battle, the enemy was weakened, the powerful fell, and the pathway was opened. And when the fires had faded, Aizen stepped forward, quiet, self assured, and more and more alone.

_But we have found our strength in solitude...in isolation...in breaking our bonds with all others. We use them all as pawns against each other, all the while, never taking our eyes off of that image of victory._

But, for a moment, Aizen frowned at the thought, noting how his image of victory had changed. Because where once, victory had meant standing alone at the top and controlling fate, now he did not picture himself alone. And where once, the concept of 'success' meant wearing the crown and ruling the three worlds, now he looked forward to holding Byakuya tightly in his arms each night, raising their children in a safe, warm and happy environment, drastically different from the one he endured. And where the hougyoku had appeared as his ally in 'victory,' now it was the thing that most threatened Byakuya and their children.

_Yes, _Byakuya's voice whispered to him, _You begin to see, do you not?_

He caught his breath softly and forced the thought away, focusing his mind on the battle. In front of him, the enemies continued to fall, and the ones remaining, friend or foe, he cut down, himself. He felt nothing for them. They were a means to an end. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction as the fighting grew fierce and began to beat down on his defenses. And as he felt the threat, the hougyoku responded as promised, pushing his body into transition...into greater power. He fell under the thrall of the hougyoku's swelling power, unleashing it and embracing each change it wrought upon him. When the last of the shinigami defenses had crumbled, he opened a senkaimon and headed for the place where Karakura Town had been hidden, with Gin at his side.

_Yes, this will push us through the final doorway. He thinks he will kill us, but he doesn't understand how he is only our pawn, and his own motions will only make us stronger and end his meager life. This thorn is about to be plucked from our side._

At that moment, an unbidden thought invaded his mind.

_He will never stand between Byakuya and me again..._

_Focus! _the hougyoku hissed.

And he felt the hand of fate reach out to take hold of him as Gin's hand wrapped around his blade.

"I will handle killing those kids."

He could have stopped the attack, of course. But he didn't want to stop it. Gin's betrayal was not only expected, but anticipated. And although he registered the shock and surprise of the exact moment of it, it was exactly as the hougyoku had promised. The threat to his life, the close burn of death, pushed him into another transition, into greater power, into greater strength, into the beginnings of transcendence.

_But why, _ he wondered as Gin's blood exploded around them, _Why does such a feeling of relief come from knowing that this one who despised Byakuya so, the one who conspired against him and interfered with our love, is never going to stand between us again?_

And again, he saw that image of victory, and marveled at how it had changed. And he thought to himself how strange it was that the emotion it made him feel was not triumph, not happiness, not pleasure.

Solitude...

_It is strange that something that gave me such strength before seems painful now._

_Master,_ whispered Kyouka Suigetsu's voice, _Master, I am with you._

The spirit in the sword quivered at how Aizen's mind scoffed at the idea.

_I do not need anyone, not human, shinigami, not hollow, nor zanpakutou, nor even a god. To be strong enough to master fate, one must not rest his fate on a connection with any other. Fate will steal those bonds and use them to weaken those who scorn her. I will not be ruled by fate. I will control her, myself. And the loneliness that the distance between Byakuya and myself has caused will disappear when I have achieved victory and the hougyoku returns him to me._

A soft chill passed through him as Byakuya's voice entered his mind again.

_You trust that rock, do you?_

"I made the hougyoku," he whispered, "And just like all of the others around me, it is merely a means to an end, something I wield to open the way to victory."

A memory shot through his mind as he stood ready to kill Kurosaki Ichigo's friends, and Ichigo's flash step sounded behind him.

_He froze as light flashed ominously around his body, and the hougyoku suddenly disappeared from the table in front of him and reappeared, embedded deeply in his chest. He frowned and shook his head._

_"What are you doing? Why show me this illusion?" he asked, touching the crystal._

_Illusion? I am not showing you an illusion, Aizen Sousuke. Just now, when I commanded your zanpakutou? I wasn't making an illusion. I was shattering one!_

_"Damn you! How long have you been…?"_

_Long enough. Long enough to take control. Long enough to master your zanpakutou. Long enough to see that although you have the power to win, you do not have the heart to complete our plans. So, I used your own zanpakutou to subdue you._

Byakuya's voice rose up in his mind again, his words beginning to shatter the calm wall of steeled resolve around him.

_"It has taken control? Sousuke, you must fight it! Do not let it control you! Sousuke!"_

"I created the hougyoku," he whispered, "It is just..."

But now he wasn't so sure.

_"How could I not be?" Byakuya asked softly, his eyes turning back towards the desert and his breath lightly misting the windowpane, "I am a taichou...and my subordinates are going into battle without me. And they are striving to stop you. I want you to stop. Sousuke, I know what you are going to do. The hougyoku spoke it to me as you slept last night. And I wonder how the person I know could do such a thing. It only makes me more convinced that this thing controls you. I don't want to believe that you would do this...that you would callously destroy a million souls, end a million lives, for the sake of gaining power."_

The hougyoku burned in his chest, scorching his flesh as Ichigo captured him and forced him out of the town to protect it from the horrid forces of their battle.

_You are getting in the way! Your obsession with that useless noble trollop is threatening to undo us! You don't need Kuchiki Byakuya and you don't need fragile little babies that can be used to control you. Trust me and we will be king. We will rule over everything together. You will forget your need for them and focus on our bond._

And suddenly, the irony that Aizen had felt before became clear.

_I thought that I was abandoning faith, trust, reliance, that the hougyoku was a mere construct for my use in obtaining victory. But in playing the part of a god who created...I created a thing that merely underscored my own flaws. I didn't abandon faith, trust and reliance. I simply placed those things in this construct I made, thinking that because it was my creation, that it would function as a tool. But just as I made the mistake of placing my faith, trust and reliance in the hougyoku, it mistakenly offered me the same. And just as my obsession with Byakuya made my vision of victory change, it changed the ambitions of the hougyoku as well. Our enemy was injustice, but now, while the hougyoku seeks power and oneness with me, I seek safety for Byakuya and our children. We cannot each achieve our ambitions without causing the other to not be able to achieve his. We are at cross purposes. One of us must bend, but the hougyoku's words indicate it will not be the one who does. And now I must decide..._

_Will I embrace my bond with the hougyoku and accept that I must leave Byakuya and our children behind forever?_

_Or will I hold on to them and let go of the hougyoku, of victory, of freedom, perhaps of life itself?_

His body shuddered as it transformed again, growing stronger and throwing itself against Ichigo's power...screaming in triumph and scoffing at the young man's attempts to kill him.

_Byakuya was right..._

_My words are no longer my own. My body is no longer under my control. As much as the hougyoku grants in strength, it requires too much in exchange. I want to win the battle, but more than that, I want to see Byakuya and Amaya again. I want to hold our new baby and make plans for our future, whatever it is. But as long as the hougyoku is fused with me, I cannot dare to be with them. It will not let them live, if indeed it lets them return at all._

_There is only one way to be sure that they are saved._

_There is only one way to win them back from the hougyoku and know they will be free again._

_They will not pay for my mistake in misplacing my trust._

_Their lives will not be forfeit because I didn't care enough to do all I could to save them._

_All it takes is the exercise of that which those corrupt councilors tried to take from me...what the hougyoku tried to steal away from me. Freedom. The ability to make my own choices. It thought that by threatening Byakuya and our children, by holding them hostage and taking over my body, that it could escape the force of my free will. But I am not helpless. I have more power than it knows. And its fears are about to be realized. Because the reason it threatened Byakuya, and took Kyouka Suigetsu is because it fears my free will...the will to oppose, the will to defy it, the will to end its dominance. The hougyoku may have control right now, but all along it has known that the control it has is rested on my will. The will to hold on to it..._

_Or the will to let go..._

He stared into Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes as the transformed youth employed the greatest of his powers and the reiatsu exploded around them.

_We are such like creatures, Ichigo,_ he mused inwardly as the hougyoku used his mouth to scream its defiance, _Both of us stand at this crossroads, and both of us have made the same choice...to let go of our powers to embrace the one thing that matters._

_Protecting the ones we love._

_How very ironic._

_The only difference is that you have done this and will return to them. I will never return to Byakuya._

_Not ever._

_I will sit in a cell somewhere, bound tightly, with the hougyoku trapped inside me. But I go willingly to that fate. As long as it is contained, they will be safe. As long as I am imprisoned, they will walk free. I may have chosen the way of solitude, but it was the right choice._

_Aishiteru yo, Byakuya, Amaya, nameless little one._

_You are finally free._

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya felt cool, comforting hands touch his face.

"He is coming around," said Unohana taichou's sweet voice, "And the baby, too, seems to be waking."

"Thank kami!" said Rukia, "They've been like that for weeks!"

"Now, maybe we will get some answers," said a familiar male voice.

_Tetsuya? But..._

"It may be some time yet before he can tell us what happened," said the healer, "We must be patient."

"It's just creepy how that thing was taking his place," said another male voice.

_Renji..._

"And it's a damned good thing that proper procedure was followed and that tower was thoroughly searched before it was destroyed. I can't believe we never even knew he'd been taken!"

"The technology used to 'replace' him was highly classified," said Unohana, "But Aizen Sousuke had access to all of that because he once worked within Central 46."

"I can't believe he held my brother hostage! And involving innocent children like that!"

"But you must know why he would do something like that," Tetsuya said quietly, "These babies are his...the girl and the one Byakuya carries now."

Rukia took a hissing breath.

"Aizen was...using my brother to make babies?" she asked in a quivering voice.

Unohana taichou looked back at them solemnly.

"I found no sign of forceful intercourse, although signs of recent intercourse were present. But...considering that Aizen Sousuke commanded the power of illusion, this could have been used to overcome Kuchiki taichou's will."

"Unohana taichou," said Rukia in a worried voice, "What will happen to my brother? Could he be arrested? Could he be forced to have his current pregnancy ended?"

"Hmmm," said the healer, "Anyone trying to prove he was with Aizen willingly, will have a difficult time proving it, because of Aizen's powers and how they could have been used to make Kuchiki taichou cooperate. And as far as the children are concerned, The girl is protected as a live-born shinigami and held harmless of Aizen's crimes. The child not yet born is also protected, because it is doubtful that Kuchiki taichou could have given his legal consent, either to sexual relations with Aizen, or to making this baby. He will be allowed to choose to keep both children, if he so wishes."

"Huh, I'll bet the Kuchiki elders are gonna love that..." mused Renji.

"They plan to require him not to name the children's father on their birth records," said Tetsuya, "They will accept the children into the family as long as they are never told who fathered them. They will likely be told that Byakuya is their father and that their mothers were clan concubines, who are expected to remain anonymous."

"Tetsuya-san," said Rukia, "I have been meaning to ask you. I know that Byakuya has been helping you to hide in the Rukongai for many years. How were you able to come back and safely appear before the elders?"

"Ah," said Byakuya's cousin, "It is strange, the way things come about. It seems that Haru's father, and his son, the heir, both died in the war. Haru was chosen to be clan leader, and our Naoki was made heir. As the spouse of a noble clan leader, half-blood or no, our elders know not to plot against me any longer."

"That's good," said Rukia, "I'm glad we can see each other without having to do so in secrecy."

"I am glad for that, as well, Rukia-chan," said Tetsuya.

The voices around him faded into a soft murmur and Byakuya sank down into a deeper, more restorative sleep. And when he opened his eyes, sometime later, he found he was alone but for Tetsuya, who sat, holding Amaya in his arms. Byakuya stared, wide-eyed at the infant he had waited more than fifty years to hold again.

Tetsuya gave him a sad smile and set Amaya in his arms, then sat down again, watching as Byakuya held the baby close to him and breathed in her sweet baby scent.

"She is lovely, Byakuya-sama," he said quietly, "She is going to be a strong shinigami."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, trying to catch his breath as Amaya looked up at him, gurgling happily and sucking on her tiny fingers, "She is."

Byakuya could feel the tension in his cousin, but just when he thought that Tetsuya would ask him what happened, he stood and excused himself.

"I will let you and Amaya have some time alone," he said, nodding briefly, then exiting the room.

Byakuya gazed down into eyes that couldn't help revealing who had fathered the girl.

_He must have been defeated. I gathered as much from their words. But...is he alive? And if he is...is the hougyoku gone?_


	28. Bonds of Love

**Chapter 28: Bonds of Love**

**(My deepest thanks to Sariniste (Byakuya will make some progress in helping his imprisoned lover in this chapter, then things will get a bit dangerous!), Picklez80 (Was that a quick enough update? LOL), Unknown-4000 (You're so sweet! Thanks!), and SlytherinQueen020 (Sorry about that cliffie! But here's a quick update and a lovely ray of hope!) Happy reading, all. Love Spunky)**

"This is where it took place?" Byakuya asked softly, looking back at Renji, who stood quietly next to Tetsuya, watching his taichou with troubled eyes.

"Yeah," the redhead answered, "This is where they fought."

Byakuya set Amaya in Tetsuya's arms, then moved forward into the scorched, destroyed looking area. He felt immediately, the leavings of the clashing reiatsu of the two fighters, and the reiatsu signatures of Ichigo and Aizen. The black patterns on the burnt ground and the tumbles of earth, timber and stone told the story of an intense battle. Faint footprints marked the steps they had taken, here and there. Byakuya sensed a slight disturbance near a small cluster of rocks and frowned.

_An illusion? But they told me that he abandoned Kyouka Suigetsu, and the blade crumbled..._

He paused for a moment, then looked back at the other two men.

"Tetsuya," he said quietly, "Please take Amaya back to the manor. Renji, you may return to your duties at the division."

"Wha...Taichou," objected Renji, "You just got out of the healing center, and..."

"I am aware of that and I will do nothing that will tax my recovering systems. I merely wish to have some time for reflection. I will return to the division myself shortly. Go on."

Renji stood still, his worried eyes contemplating the noble as he considered what to do.

"I am moved by your concern for me, Abarai, but truly..."

"Concern?" Renji repeated, his frown deepening, "Of course I'm concerned, Taichou! That bastard took you and hid you away. He hurt you."

"Renji, he did not hurt me."

"_Yes, he did, Taichou_!" the redhead insisted, "You have not been yourself since they found you and Amaya in the tower in Las Noches and brought you back! Maybe that guy didn't have you tortured or anything, but you are not the same as you were before. Anyone can see that!"

"Renji-san is right," agreed Tetsuya, "There seems to have been a weight upon your heart since you returned to us. We only wish to offer you what support we can."

"I understand," Byakuya answered solemnly, "And do not think that I fail to appreciate the sentiment. But there are ghosts that are mine to deal with...ones that will not leave me until I face them. I will not isolate myself, and I am glad for your concern. But this is something I need to attend to alone. I will be fine. And I will, as I said, return to the division soon."

Tetsuya exchanged glances with Renji, then gave the redhead a meaningful shake of his head. Renji bristled, but cleared his throat and nodded.

"All right, Taichou," he said, hating every word, "I'll be waiting at the sixth."

"Arigato, Renji," Byakuya said, watching as the redhead flash stepped away.

"I will see you back at the manor for dinner, ne Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya asked.

"Yes."

He watched his cousin depart, then moved forward slowly, studying the ground as he went. Traces of leaking reiatsu and dried blood dotted the destroyed ground, and in his mind, Byakuya could almost see things how they had happened. He took a soft, wounded breath, thinking about it, then angled toward where he had detected the oddity. The feeling of there being something strange about what he was seeing increased as he approached the cluster of rocks, and as he neared it, Senbonzakura manifested suddenly beside him.

"Senbonzakura?" the noble queried.

The zanpakutou spirit didn't answer him, but flash stepped forward and dropped to his knees, next to the rocks, making a sound of distress. A moment later, the distortion disappeared, and the collapsed form of a tall, slender, green-eyed man appeared on the ground in front of the kneeling samurai.

"Kyouka Suigetsu!" Senbonzakura gasped, pulling the battered spirit into the arms, "Master, it is...!"

"I see," answered the noble, his heart pounding.

He moved forward and joined his zanpakutou, gazing down at the wounded spirit and frowning. As he stepped closer, he saw a glint of metal on the ground, and bent to retrieve a shard of metal from a zanpakutou. He looked from the shard to Kyouka Suigetsu, then carefully wrapped the item and concealed it in his shihakushou.

"We thought that you had perished!" exclaimed the samurai, slipping a hand into Kyouka Suigetsu's as Byakuya leaned over him and carefully assessed him.

"Your reiatsu is dangerously diminished," said Byakuya, "I am surprised you have not only survived this long without your master, but that you were able to conceal yourself effectively."

The pale man lying in Senbonzakura's arms reached up to touch the samurai's mask, and smiled weakly.

"Y-yes, well," the spirit panted painfully, his eyes on Senbonzakura, "there was someone I was waiting for...someone I couldn't leave without...offering a proper farewll."

Byakuya's eyes observed the two closely, as the samurai's slightly shaking hand touched the mask over his face.

"Senbonzakura," he said warningly.

"I promised," said the spirit, "I promised him that he would see my face again."

Byakuya said no more, but only watched them and continued to infuse the fallen spirit with healing reiatsu, as Senbonzakura slowly removed his mask, revealing his stunningly beautiful, youthful visage. Kyouka Suigetsu's eyes went wide, and his lips smiled more peacefully. He reached up with trembling fingers and gently traced the lovely lines of the samurai's face. Senbonzakura's lips smiled as he touched them, and he offered the other spirit's fingertips several light kisses.

"M-my angel..." he whispered, his eyelids fluttering and starting to slide closed, "I am...so glad that I was able to see you again."

"Don't speak to me that way," said Senbonzakura, reprovingly, "You are going to be all right."

He looked up at Byakuya in askance, and the noble gave him a brief nod.

The spirit tried to answer, but faded into unintelligible, broken words as Senbonzakura squeezed his hand and called to him urgently.

"Sen," Byakuya said, catching his attention, "Take him into our inner world."

"Wh-wha...? Master?"

"We must conceal him and take him to someone who can heal him."

"But he has lost his connection with his master!" objected the zanpakutou spirit, "And he has lain here for weeks! He may turn into a hollow. And if he does so while in our inner world, we could be...!"

"I know the risks," Byakuya said resolutely, "Do as I say."

Senonzakura bit at his lips nervously and looked as though he wanted to object, but then gave a worried sigh and pulled the injured spirit closer, holding him tightly as the two shimmered softly and began to disappear. Byakuya waited until they had faded, then flash stepped away from the damaged area. He opened a family senkaimon and passed into the living world, emerging in a park near Urahara Kisuke's shop. He hurried along the street and burst into the shop, looking around and spotting Tessai, stocking the store shelves and whistling to himself. The whistling stopped as the door closed behind Byakuya, and the man looked up at him.

"Kuchiki taichou," he said, bowing briefly, "What may I do for you?"

"I need to find Urahara Kisuke immediately!" Byakuya said, stepping forward.

"He is in the training room, I believe," said Tessai, "He..."

Byakuya didn't wait to hear, but flash stepped down the hallway, to the entrance to the underground training area. He dropped down onto the rocky ground and approached the shopkeeper, where he stood talking to Yoruichi.

"Byakuya-bo," said the cat woman, giving him a relieved smile, "I am glad to see that you are feeling better."

"And I am grateful to you," Byakuya answered, "I understand that it was you who located the secret tower room where I was imprisoned."

"Yes," she said, nodding, "We were worried when we couldn't wake you or the baby, but you look well, if not a little paler than usual."

"So, what brings you here, Kuchiki-san?" asked Kisuke, "You look like a man with something heavy on his mind. What can I do to help?"

"I found something," Byakuya said, touching Senbonzakura's hilt and willing the spirit to manifest.

Kisuke and Yoruichi froze, staring in surprise as Byakuya's samurai zanpakutou appeared, carrying the unconscious Kyouka Suigetsu in his arms.

"What in kami's name?" whispered Kisuke, "I thought that Ichigo said that..."

"We found him collapsed near the place where they fought. And I managed to recover this," Byakuya said, removing and unwrapping the recovered shard.

Kisuke stared, wide-eyed at the shard, and at the nearly diminished zanpakutou, then looked back at Byakuya meaningfully.

"What are you asking me to do, Kuchiki-san? Aizen is our enemy, ne? And yet, if I guess correctly, based on the look you're giving me, you are about to ask me to restore the Seireitei's most dangerous zanpakutou! Why in kami's name do you think I would ever do that? We barely managed to catch that guy. And anyway, having been abandoned by Aizen, he should have faded already. The thing's a lost cause, and you know it."

"No!" Byakuya said firmly, wrapping a hand around the stunned shopkeeper's wrist and glaring into his eyes, "Kyouka Suigetsu can be saved. And you are going to save him."

"Byakuya-bo..." Yoruichi began, but she stopped as he gave her a scathing, dismissive glare and went on.

"May I remind you, Urahara Kisuke, that Sousuke wasn't the only one who dabbled in dangerous things and conducted off the books and _illegal _experiments. And like Sousuke, you discovered the way to create a hougyoku. You _knew_ the dangers of what you created, and you knew, as well, the punishment that you would face if the truth about that particular experiment came to light."

"Hey, that..."

"That _thing _you made devoured living souls!" Byakuya hissed, shoving the other man back against the rocks behind him, "Do you mean to tell me that you never fed your hougyoku a living soul? Don't bother. Because we both know that you would be lying through your teeth. You may have taken the lives of enemies and dispatched them that way, but you are guilty of doing the same thing that Sousuke did as he ran his experiments."

"Maybe somewhat true, but..."

"And as you experimented, it occurred to you that something wasn't right about the hougyoku. You had created it, but you began to lose control of it. You felt the threat of it, but instead of destroying it, you sealed it. You sealed it as well as you could and you not only hid the damned thing, but you hid it in _my sister's body_! As much as Aizen used Rukia, you used her too. And you did it to conceal the truth about that damned thing!"

Kisuke's eyes narrowed.

"Byakuya..."

The noble's eyes darkened dangerously and he pressed harder against the pinned man, bringing his furious face closer to the shopkeeper's. Yoruichi tensed and watched them closely, but didn't speak.

"You knew all along that it would overcome him, didn't you?"

"I..."

"_Didn't you_, Urahara Kisuke?" Byakuya demanded, his reiatsu flaring and his enraged eyes sparking, "You _knew_ and you kept it to yourself, both to save your own hide and because you were curious about what Sousuke would be able to find out about the stone. Allowing him to continue to develop the hougyoku without warning him about what you knew was tantamount to being an accomplice to his crimes! You know that, at some point, the hougyoku became free-willed. It refused to obey your wishes and it began to seek its own ends. It was supposed to bring to life the ambitions and desires of the ones around it."

"There's only one flaw in your theory, Kuchiki taichou," said Kisuke, "And that's that I believed that the ability of the hougyoku was simply to remove the barrier between shinigami and hollow, allowing for the..."

"Do not lie to me!" Byakuya hissed, shoving him back against the wall again, "You found out some time ago that, that was not all that the hougyoku did! You noticed that it began to affect the people around you, making other odd things happen. You became concerned because you began to suspect that the hougyoku had a will of its own! But instead of documenting that and destroying the hougyoku, you hid your mistake. And it was that, in part that led to my sister nearly being executed!"

"I wasn't going to let Rukia be executed," argued Kisuke, "I trained and sent Ichigo to rescue her..."

"She nearly died anyway," said Byakuya, "And I have to ask myself if you didn't just assist Ichigo because you wanted a front row seat to what happened during her execution."

"Okay, _that_ is overstepping bounds, Kuchiki taichou," Kisuke said, anger rising in his eyes, "Aizen was the one who sent your sister to the living world and set her up, not me!"

"But even though you moved to help her, you were the one who placed your hougyoku in her body and caused her to lose her powers! You could have destroyed the damned thing, but..."

"No," insisted Kisuke, pulling free of Byakuya's furious, clenching hands, "You see, that's the thing, Byakuya. I _couldn't _destroy the hougyoku. I _couldn't _find a way to do that. I sealed the thing and hid it. And yeah, I admit that I knew that it was dangerous."

"Not just that it was dangerous," Byakuya said accusingly, "but that it had a will of its own. And not only does the hougyoku have a will of its own. Its will is powerful enough to overcome its wielder...even so powerful a wielder as Aizen Sousuke!"

Kisuke's eyes widened.

"You...you don't give a damn about the hougyoku, do you?" he said incredulously, "You want to free Aizen! You're crazy! We just locked that lunatic away, Byakuya. There is no way in _hell_ that I am going to help you get him out of that prison! You're nuts if you think I'm going to do that!"

"You _are _going to help me, Urahara Kisuke," Byakuya said, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him, "You _know_ what that thing did to him! And knowing that, you also know that the hougyoku was acting independently after it overcame him and began to try to make him king."

"You can't..."

"Sousuke was evaluated by Central 46, when he was a child..."

"That doesn't give him the right to commit murder, Byakuya."

"And they sentenced him to lifelong incarceration and control, when he had never done a thing to anyone and he had no plans of any kind to commit a crime!"

"That still doesn't..."

"He only created the hougyoku in the first place, because of what they did. But when he began to place his faith in the hougyoku that he created, it overcame his mind. It took control of him."

"Now, I think you're getting a little out of bounds with this, Byakuya. Suggesting that..."

"That _beastly thing_ overcame me and _made me pregnant_! It wanted me to _die_ bearing Sousuke's child. It threatened me in its own voice, Urahara! I _know_ firsthand what I am talking about! So, forget your excuses. Do not try to lie to me anymore about this. You are as responsible for this mess as he is, because you had all of this knowledge and you were too worried about saving your own skin to think about how other people could be hurt! You deserve as wicked a fate as they've given him. And if you dare to refuse me, _I swear I will make it my life's work to prove everything you did and see that you are executed for it!"_

The training room went quiet for a moment as the two men's eyes clashed in a silent battle of wills, and Yoruichi gazed at them with a troubled expression. Finally, she could hold back no more.

"He may have gone a bit far, Kisuke," she said to the shopkeeper, "But on some levels, he is right. You did also create a hougyoku. You did hide it instead of seeking help from Soul Society to destroy it. I _know_ that you would have faced serious charges, but that doesn't change the facts."

"What does that matter?" Kisuke asked, extracting himself from the angry noble's gripping hands again, "I couldn't find a way to destroy that cursed thing. I don't know if I ever will."

Byakuya glared into his eyes, calm returning as he felt the balance between them shift in his favor.

"I nearly lost my sister. I nearly lost my life, numerous times," he said, more softly, "The hougyoku has darkened my life for nearly a hundred years. But that is going to end now. You are going to help me prove that Aizen Sousuke's crimes were committed while he was under the hougyoku's control...and you are going to help me destroy it. Do not even think of refusing me. I will make you life a living hell if you do!"

"Heh," huffed Urahara, recovering some of his brashness, "You already do that quite capably, Kuchiki-san."

"We have an understanding then?" Byakuya asked, his reiatsu calming slightly.

Kisuke hesitated, then gave a slow nod.

"We do."

He glanced at Senbonzakura, who still held Kyouka Suigetsu in his arms, then accepted the zanpakutou shard from Byakuya.

"All right," he said, shaking his head, "Let's start by trying to keep this zanpakutou from dying or turning into a hollow."


	29. Interrogation

**Chapter 29: Interrogation**

"All done, Byakuya-sama," Torio said, taking a last look at his clan leader's formal kimono, matched fingerless gloves, the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu and kenseiken, and finding all in order.

"Arigato, Torio," the noble said quietly, still registering a feeling of oddness at seeing himself in anything but a silk yukata, as that he had worn in the tower in Hueco Mundo.

His kimono had been altered, so that his leaner frame was less obvious. And as his pregnancy progressed, he would thicken some and fill his clothing out more comfortably, he thought.

"You look better today, Cousin," Tetsuya said from the doorway.

Byakuya gave him a tentative smile.

"Arigato," he answered, watching Tetsuya walk into the dressing area and studying his lovely and finely crafted blue kimono, "You look well turned out, yourself. Are you going somewhere?"

"I am going with you," his cousin said, looking at Byakuya's reflection in the mirror, "You are going to be facing down the Central 46 council. I am not going to let you go and face something like that without me."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow.

"I am not intimidated by them," he said, looking back at Tetsuya in the mirror, "And remember, our own council of elders is going to be present during the questioning. I will be fine. Besides, they have said that only council members may attend."

"I am a council member, though not of our own clan," argued Tetsuya, "And I am the spouse of a clan leader. I have already been given permission to attend."

"I see," said Byakuya, shaking his head, "Tetsuya..."

"No arguing, Byakuya-sama," laughed Tetsuya, "I am going with you. We can ride Arashi to and from the headquarters."

Byakuya sighed.

"As you will, then," he said, capitulating with another annoyed shake of his head.

They left Byakuya's room and walked out into the gardens, then turned towards the manor entry.

"It still seems strange, having you able to show yourself here," Byakuya said, smiling again at the calm, comfortable feel of Tetsuya's strong reiatsu, "I am glad that Haru was able to assist you in overcoming the forces that kept you away."

"Well," said Tetsuya, smiling, "It has made things safer, but Orochi was clear that just because I cannot be touched does not mean that I cannot be scowled at and insulted."

"I hope you showed him your displeasure."

"I would not lower myself to give him the satisfaction. It is enough for me to walk proudly in front of him and completely ignore him," said Tetsuya, stopping as they reached Arashi and waiting as Byakuya mounted the stallion.

He climbed up in front of the clan leader and nudged Arashi in a gentle trot. They pulled up a moment later, and Arashi tossed his head and gave an odd squeal as Renji appeared, practically under his nose.

"Whoa! Hey, sorry!" he said, glancing up, and then doing a doubletake, "Hi Tetsuya, Taichou."

Arashi lowered his proud head and butted the redhead playfully.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Renji complained.

He blinked and frowned as the stallion gave him the equine equivalent of a raspberry.

"What can we do for you, Abarai?" Byakuya asked, "You know I am meeting with the Central 46 council today. We need to be going, if you will excuse us."

"Well, actually, that's why I'm here."

"It is?" queried Byakuya, looking surprised.

"Yeah, Taichou," answered the redhead, swatting at the stallion as he butted him playfully again, "Soutaichou asked me to go along with you...as an agent of the Gotei 13...to make sure that protocol for the questioning is followed."

"Oh...I see," said the noble, "Well, unfortunately, Arashi can only carry two, so you will have to meet us there."

"Yeah," said the redhead, grinning at the stallion, "Because there's no way this ol' fleabag is gonna get there faster than me."

He disappeared in a flash step, leaving Arashi stamping and fuming behind him.

"Easy, Arashi," Tetsuya said reprovingly, "Do not let yourself be..."

He broke off as the stallion exploded into flash steps, following in the direction that Renji had gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well," said Kisuke, studying the spirit that slept soundly in the bed he sat next to, "I've done all I can for him. We're just going to have to leave things for a bit and see how they go."

"Thank you, Urahara-san," said Senbonzakura, taking the seat next to the bed as the shopkeeper rose, and slipping his hand back into Kyouka Suigetsu's, I will watch over him."

"And call me immediately if he suddenly gets worse. I'll let you two have your privacy. I think your presence has a good effect on him."

"We are friends," said the samurai. solemnly, "I know that others do not trust him, but I know him well."

"It's good somebody does," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "He's not exactly the life of the party, so it's a little hard getting him to talk, you know?"

"Well, he needs rest more than talk, anyway, right now, ne?"

"Yeah. So...I'm off. Behave yourselves."

He left the room and closed the door behind him. Senbonzakura smiled beneath his mask at hearing the lock click into place. He waited a moment, then reached up and removed his mask, frowning as the green-eyed man opened his eyes and fixed them on the stunningly beautiful samurai's face.

"You are supposed to be sleeping," Senbonzakura chided him.

"Ah," said Kyouka Suigetsu, smiling up at him, "I thought that I _was_ dreaming. You remove that mask so rarely."

"Only for my master," said the other spirit, "And for my lover."

He leaned forward and brought his soft lips to the green-eyed man's. Kyouka Suigetsu met his lips warmly and coaxed him into the bed.

"What are you doing?" objected Senbonzakura between kisses, "Go back to sleep."

"I will," promised Kyouka Suigetsu, "but first, I want to enjoy lying down with you. It feels like forever since we were together last."

The samurai gazed at him disapprovingly as the other spirit's hands worked to deprive him of his clothes. With a resigned sigh, he relinquished them and wrapped his slender, lovely body around Kyouka Suigetsu's.

"Mmmmm," sighed the green-eyed man, gazing into Senbonzakura's dark blue eyes and capturing his lips again, "I feel better already. This is the healing I really needed."

He moved, causing an electric jolt through the samurai's loins and making him blush and catch his breath.

"Stop that at once, or I will go!" threatened Senbonzakura, "I will..."

The words were cut off by a scintillating kiss that left him panting and blushing even more brightly.

"Please stop," pleaded the samurai, his lips sweetly pinked from their heavy kisses, "I thought you were dead, and you almost were. You will kill yourself if you do not stop!"

The green-eyed spirit surprised the samurai with a dizzying smile.

"Senbonzakura," he said, placing his hands on the samurai's lovely face, "To die in your arms would be the sweetest of deaths."

"Don't say such things," Senbonzakura said, choking on the words, "I almost lost you. How can you make jokes about that?"

The samurai's injured lover sighed.

"Don't you understand, watashi no koi, I _am_ a joke."

"What?" gasped Senbonzakura, sitting up and staring at him, "What are you saying?"

"I am a living deception. I wear a mask like you do. No one ever sees me as I am. Always, I hide my true form in shadows and lies. No one has looked upon who I truly am...no one but you."

Senbonzakura laid down in his arms again.

"But even you don't know whether or not to trust your senses around me."

"Yes, I do."

"I could be deceiving you."

"Are you?"

Troubled green eyes met calm blue.

"No. But how would you know if I was?"

He closed his eyes and sank more deeply into the lovely samurai's embrace and Senbonzakura burrowed his face into the other man's shoulder and throat. Kyouka Suigetsu's hands pulled the tie from his hair and let it spill down in long, black, silken waves over their bare bodies.

"If you were to deceive me," whispered Sen, "It would be because you love me."

"But how do you know that even that love is real?"

The samurai's hand slid down over Kyouka Suigetsu's naked breast.

"Because my senses are not what tell me that you love me. My heart tells me that you love me, and your heart tells me right now just how truly that emotion is returned."

Kyouka Suigetsu stared into his samurai lover's beguiling face and found his smile widening and becoming more tranquil.

"Rest now," whispered Senbonzakura letting his fingers run down the side of the other man's face, "I won't leave you."

Kyouka Suigetsu's eyes softened, and he stroked the samurai's soft hair affectionately.

_I wish I could offer you the same comfort, but I do not know what will happen from here. My shinigami has abandoned me. He discarded me as though I meant nothing to him. I do not know why I did not die and disappear._

_But I think that I still live...because of you._

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya sat quietly at in a chair at a table that had been set in the middle of the coucil chambers...a comfort that they only accorded when council questioning was expected to take hours. And Byakuya expected that, with all of the questions he was about to be asked, it might be hours...perhaps days.

He dreaded, of course, the questions, the full reveal of the long-hidden truth. And he knew that the truth might make him hated...disgraced...lowered in the eyes of his comrades and friends. But Kuchiki Byakuya was used to being abandoned. Whether by death or by some kind of withdrawal, people always left his life. He wondered briefly if Aizen Sousuke would just be another who would leave him.

_He has left me often enough before._

The doors at the top of the chamber opened, and the Central 46 councilors filed into the room and took their seats in the upper gallery. The Kuchiki council and councilors from several of the other noble clans, as well as several representatives of the Gotei 13, sat in a lower gallery, at his back.

For the purposes of his questioning, Byakuya sat alone, between them.

He looked up as the head councilor banged his gavel to call the meeting to order.

"Members of council and noble officiates, the investigation into the matter of the sixth division taichou's questionable relationship with the traitor, Aizen Sousuke will now commence. I will warn all members present that these proceedings are private and highly classified, as they involve the head of one of his majesties' noble clans. No discussion of these proceedings will be occur outside of this chamber, unless it is a matter of preparation for a related trial, if one is deemed necessary, in this case. Kuchiki taichou, this council has received both word and evidence that you were found, concealed in a tower in Las Noches, in the presence of a child that has been identified as yours and Aizen Sousuke's. And it has also been determined that you carry a second child by this convicted traitor. In light of your status as a taichou of the Gotei 13, and a noble servant of the king, this relationship has the potential to indicate multiple breaches of military and legal codes. Council has elected to allow you to explain, from beginning to end, the nature of that relationship, and to offer into evidence, that which may explain your guilt or innocence of any crimes associated with that relationship. We will stop you for questions as needed and have you explain in more detail when it is needed. After that, the council will call a recess to prepare a list of questions for you to answer. So then...go back to the beginning, and tell the council when, where and how your relationship with Aizen Sousuke began."

Byakuya took and slowly released a steadying breath, then began his story.

"Aizen Sousuke first approached me on the day of my eighteenth birthday, although he used his illusionary powers, which at the time, were unknown to anyone, to blind me to who he actually was. He came to Kuchiki Manor and spirited me away from everyone, and he indicated that he had an interest in me."

"And how did you respond to him?"

"At first, I was resistant. He used his illusions so that I could not see him, nor recognize his voice. But as he spoke to me and...touched me, I was made curious. I asked him to reveal himself and he refused. He only said that he would come to my room that night. Of course, I did not believe he could. The manor defenses are among the best in the Seireitei. It seemed inconceivable to me that he would get in."

"But he did? He came to you that night?"

"Yes."

"And what happened between you? Did he reveal himself then?"

"No. He stood outside my doors, looking in through the glass and he asked me if I would let him in?"

"And did you?"

"No."

"What was his reaction?"

"He said that he would return the next night to request entrance again."

"And that is all that passed between you that night?"

Byakuya closed his eyes against the question. But he had known to expect the full nature of the details of their relationship to be explored, and knew well that there were ways for the council to sense if he was holding back.

"No."

"What else happened?"

"What happened did not involve words, and is private," Byakuya answered, "It is not relevant, except to say that it was sexual in nature. I teased him to see if he would respect what he had said about not forcing me if I did not wish to let him enter the room."

"So, you put on some sort of sexual display to see if he would become forceful?"

"Yes."

"And judging by your earlier testimony..."

"He did not. He left."

"Did he return the next night?"

"No. I was injured in a skirmish and was in the fourth division after."

"Did he come to you there?"

"I believe so, but I cannot be sure. I dreamed that he did, and that he pleasured me. But I do not know if that was real or not. I do know that Aizen taichou was with me when I woke, and that my body felt as if what I had dreamed had been real."

"So it is possible that he molested you while you were in the hospital?"

"I feel it was consensual."

"But you admit that you did not give your consent?"

"I did in my dream."

"But if it was a dream or deception, then you realize that he committed a sexual crime against you?"

Byakuya paused, uncertainty registering in his eyes.

"I do not feel that my rights were violated. I was accepting of the contact."

"Very well. Go on. How did your relationship progress from there?"

"He came to me again, once I returned home, but this time, I let him into my room."

"Did he reveal himself to you then?"

"No."

"Did you engage in sex with him at that point?"

"Yes."

"And was it consensual?"

"Yes."

"At what point did Aizen Sousuke reveal his identity to you?"

"After we were intimate for the first time."

"So, you were aware, at that time, that Aizen, as a taichou, was breaking military code by having sex with you?"

"Yes, but as you know, those rules are rarely enforced, and they are meant to..."

"We will decide on the application of the law, in this case, Kuchiki taichou, as your own judgment is in question here. Now, you have said that your relationship began when you had just turned eighteen years old?"

"Yes."

"And how long did it continue?"

"We were together for several years, during which time, I learned the true power of Kyouka Suigetsu. I also learned that Sousuke was involved in something secret, though he was careful not to include me in whatever it was. I knew that it involved a dangerous power, but I did not know that the power involved was the hougyoku."

"So you, an officer of the sixth division, knew that a taichou was lying about his powers and was conducting questionable research, and yet you did not alert your own taichou to what was going on?"

"No. We had agreed not to become involved in that part of each others' lives, and although I understood that Kyouka Suigetsu was more powerful than we knew, I did not expect he would turn that power against us."

"But you knew he was involved in something illegal?"

"I did not."

"Did you have reason to believe it was illegal?"

"I...don't know. I was distracted. I was in love with him. I don't know that I gave the matter so much thought. He asked me not to say anything about his powers..."

"And he was a superior officer who had seduced you, I see..."

Anger flared inside the noble, but he resisted the urge to lose his temper in front of the councils. He stood quietly as the questioning went on.

"Continue with your testimony, Kuchiki taichou."

"We were involved for several years, the understanding being that it was to be kept private, and that I should not expect that we would be married."

"So, it was a casual affair."

"I believe it qualifies as that."

"Did you have any other sexual partners at the time?"

"No."

"Did he?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Go on."

"One day, I took a message to the fifth division and Sousuke told me to wait in his quarters for him. As I was waiting, I sensed a dangerous presence, and a voice sounded in my head. I did not know it, but it was the hougyoku. It said that it sensed my desires, and it tried to warn me to stay away from Sousuke. I was in the way. It said it was going to grant my desires, and hinted that my dream come true might kill me. A short time after, I learned I was pregnant."

"Did you have that child?"

"Yes."

"And where is that child now?"

"That child is the infant, Kuchiki Amaya."

Voices rose in disbelief all around him, and the head councilor banged his gavel to quiet the room.

"Kuchiki taichou, it is very clear that your daughter, Kuchiki Amaya is only, at most, a week old. How is possible for you to have given birth to her so many years ago?"

"The hougyoku abducted her and placed her in a time-stopped cell."

"What?"

"It wanted us to separate, so it overcame Sousuke, and he came and took the child and put her in a time-stopped cell."

"And Aizen refused to give her back to you?"

"No."

"Explain!"

"The hougyoku refused to give her back to us. I came to the conclusion then that the hougyoku was controlling him."

The head councilor glared down at him.

"I want you to explain exactly how you came to that conclusion. What evidence led you to believe that?"

"Sousuke might have balked at marrying or having children, but he loved our daughter. He would never have done such a thing to her. And he never would have been so cruel to me."

"Tell me this, then," said the head councilor, "Did Aizen Sousuke physically abuse you during your relationship?"

Byakuya froze.

"Kuchiki taichou?"

"N-no, he..."

"Kuchiki taichou, you are under oath to tell the truth. Did Aizen Sousuke ever abuse you physically?"

Byakuya stared down at his hands, struggling to find the right words.

"Kuchiki taichou, you were asked a question. You must answer!"

Byakuya took a shuddering breath.

"I...do not know, exactly."

"Explain."

"When I married Hisana, he came to me."

"Were you in an adulterous relationship?"

"No. We were separated because the hougyoku had our daughter. I told you. It used her to separate us."

Is it possible that Aizen just did this to push you away?"

"No. He would not be that cruel to me."

"But he physically abused you while you were married to Kuchiki Hisana?"

"I don't know. I had horrid dreams, but when I woke, only I could see the injuries."

"How long did the abuse go on?"

"For six weeks. Each night, I would lie down with my wife and have horrid dreams of being beaten and sexually assaulted. And I would wake up bruised and cut, but no one else could see."

"And what made the beatings stop?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me. From what he said, it sounded as though he had managed to convince the hougyoku that I was in danger of losing my mind. And it knew that if anything happened to me, it would have trouble controlling Sousuke."

"You suspect, but you have no evidence to offer?"

"No."

"Go on."

"When Hisana died, I became overwhelmed. The weight of losing her and the strain of having my daughter held captive wore on me to the point where I...attempted to take my own life."

"Where? When? And how?"

"I inhibited my reiatsu and let myself fall from the top of a waterfall in the Rukongai."

"And?"

"Sousuke stopped me. He caught me and comforted me."

"Did you have sexual relations with him?"

"Yes."

"And then, what happened?"

"To ease my mind, he took my memories of our relationship. I had no idea, from that point that we had been involved at all, or that we..."

He paused and swallowed hard.

"Or that we had a daughter."

"And when did you become aware of these things?"

"When Sousuke abducted me from Soukyoku Hill, after Gin's blade struck me. Sousuke concealed me in the tower and had me healed, then he revealed the past to me."

"Now, Kuchiki taichou, I want you to be very clear about this. Were you treated as a prisoner, or as his lover after he returned your memories?"

"I was locked in the tower with no way to escape."

"Did you try?"

"No. I tested the room's defenses and knew that escape attempts were futile."

"Did you and Aizen have sexual relations while you were his captive?"

"Yes."

"Was it consensual?"

"Yes."

"Has the man ever taken you sexually, against your will?"

"No."

"When did Aizen return your daughter?"

"He didn't."

"What?" asked the head councilor, looking surprised, "But she was found with you in the tower. How is that possible?"

"I found out after several months, that I was pregnant with a second child and my health began to deteriorate from the stresses of captivity and the separation from my daughter. I collapsed and was in danger of dying."

"Yes, our report from the fourth division does support that. You were in very poor condition when you were found. Go on."

"When I collapsed, I maintained an odd awareness of what was happening. I heard two voices in my mind, one Sousuke's and one I recognized as the voice of the hougyoku."

"And what did you hear?"

"Sousuke wanted it to free our daughter, but it refused to do so until he became king."

"Please repeat that."

"The hougyoku refused to give our daughter back until Sousuke became king."

"Go on."

"Instead, it offered to place me in a time stopped cell, as it had done with Amaya, and that when he became king, it would release us. It also said that if they were defeated, its power over us would be terminated and we would return."

"We have the reports from the fourth and twelfth divisions, supporting this part of the story. Thank you, Kuchiki taichou. Have you any other testimony or evidence to add?"

"No."

"And I see that you have requested visitation with Aizen in our prison?"

"Yes."

"Very well. As the bearer of two of his children, having clear evidence of a longtime relationship with him, and having the added provisional marriage document from your clan, you are granted visitation. However, the visitation is subject to monitoring as necessary to protect others in case Aizen should try to harm anyone. And during your visits, you are only allowed to uncover one eye and his nose and mouth. It is too dangerous for any more of him to be revealed, due to his violent nature."

"I understand."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Kuchiki taichou, you are freed on your own recognizance, with the understanding that you will be called back to answer further questions, and to receive a decision as to whether any charges will be leveled against you. You are dismissed."

The council stood and left the room. A moment later, Byakuya felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder, and looked up at Tetsuya's pale, concerned face.

"Are you...all right?" Tetsuya asked softly.

"I am fine," Byakuya said, standing.

He turned back towards the entrance to the council chambers, but froze as his eyes found Renji, standing, facing him...gazing at him through teary eyes, and holding a crying woman against his chest. He felt the air squeezed out of his lungs as he recognized her.

_Rukia!_

_Why is she here?_


	30. Delineations

**Chapter 30: Delineations**

**(Okay, so...here's the story! I realized after a sharp reader pointed it out that I never dealt with Renji and Rukia left devastated after Byakuya's testimony. And I could not just put it in another chapter later, because it should have been here. So THIS CHAPTER IS THE NEW CHAPTER! The old chapter 30 is now chapter 31. I hope that makes sense! If not...deepest apologies! Enjoy the chapter! Love Spunky.)**

Tetsuya looked from Byakuya's stricken face to the two shinigamis standing nearby, holding on to each other, as though for dear life, Rukia crying soundlessly against Renji's shoulder, and the redhead wearing a lost, devastated expression, and he looked back at Byakuya again, shaking his head sympathetically.

"You do not have to do this now," he said softly, "I can talk to them...to soothe them somewhat and you can see them later, after they have..."

"No," Byakuya said solemnly, "I will see them now. But...we will need to go somewhere private to talk. We shall retire to the manor. I will see them there."

Tetsuya nodded.

"I will inform them."

He left Byakuya's side as the elders of the clan moved forward and ushered him away. Renji and Rukia gazed at him questioningly as he approached them, their sad eyes indicating the extreme depth of betrayal they were feeling.

"Rukia-chan, Renji-san," he said quietly, "Byakuya-sama would like a chance to speak with you alone. He is returning to the manor, and will meet with you there."

"Why should we do that?" Renji asked, holding Rukia against him more possessively, "It's not like we could believe anything he would tell us. He's been lying to everyone for all of these years...all of these years while he was IN BED WITH THAT MONSTER!"

Renji flushed and went quiet as he realized that he had drawn the attention of the others still standing in the room. Tetsuya saw his opportunity and continued in a low, soft voice.

"Renji-san, I know that tempers are high, and that you are quite busy absorbing the shock of what you heard. But...if I may lend a bit of perspective. While it is true that Byakuya-sama has had a longstanding relationship with Aizen Sousuke, there are four inescapable truths about this that you must take into account before you vilify him."

Renji gave him a discomfited look, but exchanged glances with the still crying Rukia and nodded briefly.

"First," Tetsuya went on, "Byakuya-sama was barely eighteen and sexually naive when Aizen Sousuke first ensnared him. You might consider how easily that man has manipulated even the older and wiser among us and reconsider. Secondly, when Byakuya-sama first encountered the hougyoku, although he sensed it was dangerous, there was no way that he could have known the extent of its treachery. Add to that the fact that being younger and in a lower standing in the military, he was likely intimidated by Aizen's respected standing in the Gotei 13. This would have made him concerned that revealing their love affair, which at the time, might have defied a few military codes, would only have resulted in Aizen's punishment and loss of reputation...not Byakuya-sama's. Next, you should consider that Byakuya-sama became pregnant because of the hougyoku's interference. It intended for him to die in childbirth and then when he did not, it abducted his child and made everyone but him unaware she ever existed. He had to bear the weight of that alone. I was with him for part of that time and I will tell you honestly that you cannot understand his devastation as he suffered this loss and was criticized for sounding like a man who had lost his mind. Finally, you might consider that neither of you really knows Byakuya-sama, as his memories of Aizen and what happened in his youth were stolen and not returned until Aizen abducted him from Soukyoku Hill. He was not deceiving you all of that time. He simply did not remember what had happened."

"What about once Aizen returned his memories?" Renji said bitterly, "He _admitted_ that he never tried to escape Aizen and that he willingly went to bed with the man while supposedly his prisoner. While _we_ were all fighting for our lives, trying to save Orihime, he was fucking our enemy, for kami's sake!"

"Renji-san, there is truth in what you are saying and I am in no way suggesting that you should not be upset or have harsh feelings about this, but have you considered how he must have felt waking up alone in Las Noches, badly injured, with a hougyoku controlled Aizen his captor, and having to relive what had happened before? You just heard the story for the first time, and I understand that the weight of that is unbearable, but Byakuya-sama lived through it once, had his memory stolen and then had to endure the retrieval of that."

Renji bit at his lips and let the anger drain out of him in a long, shuddering sigh.

"Damn..."

Rukia took a steadying breath and looked up at Tetsuya with teary eyes.

"What you are saying makes sense. And...even if it didn't, Nii-sama is my brother. After all he has done for me, I owe him a chance to explain. Renji and I will meet with him at Kuchiki Manor."

Tetsuya nodded solemnly.

"Arigatou," he said softly, "Byakuya-sama will be very relieved that you will at least let him attempt to explain."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Kyouka Suigetsu," Senbonzakura whispered to the very weak spirit who slept in his arms, "You are not alone. You have never been alone...never, since that first night."

_Senbonzakura felt the presence of an unfamiliar spirit near his master and the newly revealed Aizen Sousuke and manifested to be certain that the strange zanpakutou had no designs against his master. As he emerged, he felt a shimmer in the air in front of him, and a tall, black haired man with deep green eyes appeared before him._

_Senbonzakura froze, an odd euphoria sweeping through his body._

_"Who are you?" he whispered, "You are the zanpakutou of that man who has taken my master?"_

_"I am," said the other spirit, smiling and extending a hand, "And as our masters have become intimate, we should get to know each other. For as they are together, we will be in each others' presence when they meet. Greetings, Senbonzakura. I am Kyouka Suigetsu."_

_"Mirror Flower, Water Moon," Sen breathed, his heart pounding fitfully in his chest._

_"Yes."_

_"And how is it that you already seem to know of me?"_

_The green eyed man smiled._

_"My master knows of you, and thus I know of you as well. Both my master and I appreciate both your beauty and your power, Senbonzakura. But come with me. Our masters are likely to spend much of the night together, during which you and I can get to know each other."_

_Not knowing what to say, Sen followed the other spirit across the gardens and out the back gate, along the dark, quiet forest path, and up to the waterfall Byakuya frequented as a place for rest and reflection._

_"You act as though you know this place as well," commented Senbonzakura, "In fact, it becomes disturbing that you know so much of me, but I know nothing of you. All I have is your name, really."_

_"That is why I have asked you here. First, let me assure you that although I admit that my master has watched yours from afar for some time, so much that we have learned of the places he frequents and of his and your powers...we did not do so with nefarious intent."_

_"No?"_

_"No. My master has long admired yours, but dared not approach him as he was scandalously, even illegally young. But as he has come of age, he can hold himself back no more."_

_"So he comes to my innocent master and tries to overcome him with mystery and intrigue? Do not expect me to be so trusting."_

_"No, not you," said the other spirit, still smiling appreciatively, "You are very protective of your master, and you sense that my master and I are dangerous. You are wise to be cautious. We are dangerous. However, my master has truly been ensnared by yours. He does not get close to people, nor does he reveal my true powers to anyone, but he has opened up to your Byakuya tonight. I find that almost frightening."_

_"You do?" mused Sen, "I don't understand. Why?"_

_"My master was hurt badly as a child, and ever since that time, he has trusted no one. That he would put his faith in your young master this way is unnerving. But I feel that your master is an honorable person...unlike those who hurt my master before. And you are a well respected and honorable zanpakutou...lovely and powerful. You are also one who will understand what it is like for us...living life behind a mask, ne?"_

_Senbonzakura touched the mask over his face gently._

_"I wear this..."_

_"To seal one of your greatest powers...one that Byakuya has not yet discovered. One that you have not revealed to him."_

_"But...if he does not know, then...how can you? Who are you, Kyouka Suigetsu that you know so much about me? I have told no one the full truth of why I never remove my mask."_

_"Do not be alarmed," Kyouka Suigetsu assured him, "I do not know what power it is that you are concealing. I only sensed power under a seal, not what exact power it was."_

_"Oh," said Sen, blinking and trying to gain his bearings._

_"Would you show me your face, Senbonzakura?"_

_"What? No! I can't do that! I..."_

_"It's all right," Kyouka Suigetsu said calmly, "We shall just sit and talk then. We have plenty of time. Unless perhaps, you do not wish to remain here with me."_

_Sen thought quickly_

_We don't really know anything about these two, he reasoned to himself, Perhaps I should engage him to see what I can learn..._

_"I...am content to sit and talk with you," he told the green eyed man, settling down beside him under a sakura tree and following his gaze up to the lovely moon above them._

_"Thank you," said Kyouka Suigetsu, "My master does not allow me to interact with many others. But he has been more lenient when it comes to you."_

_"That sounds rather lonely," observed the samurai, "Well then, I will try to be suitable company."_

_"Oh," said the green eyed man in a way that made Senbonzakura blush instantly, "I am sure that you will have no trouble being very pleasing company indeed!"_

"Ah...I wish I had opened up to you sooner. Perhaps it would have done some kind of good...though I do not know how it might or might not have helped, considering the power we were up against..."

He kissed the sleeping spirit very gently on the lips.

"I promise that I will stay here with you," he whispered, "Even though your master has abandoned you, I will not. I will stay with you and help you as much as I can. Aishiteru yo...Kyouka Suigetsu!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Kuchiki-sama, please, you must eat something!" insisted Torio, setting a tray of food down on the garden table in front of the noble, "You are with child and you barely touched your food this morning. Please..."

"I am meeting with my sister and my fukutaichou right now," the noble said, shaking his head, "I need to focus on that and then I will..."

"Please Nii-sama," Rukia said, stepping off the wooden walkway with Renji a silent shadow at her side, "You can say whatever you need to say to Renji and me while we have lunch. Torio-san is right. you must take care of yourself and your baby!"

Renji kept his eyes lowered, but spoke up in agreement.

"Rukia is right, Taichou. Whatever you must say to us, we don't want you to neglect yourself."

Byakuya looked as though he wanted to object, but let out a soft breath and nodded. Torio breathed a grateful sigh.

"Thank you so much, Rukia-chan and Renji-san, for talking some sense into him. We've all been so worried!"

"It's all right, Torio-san," Rukia said, "Renji and I will see that Nii-sama eats something while we talk. In fact, why don't you serve our tea before you go."

"Of course, Rukia-chan!" Torio said, bowing.

Byakuya sighed and looked down at his plate, sickness rising inside as he considered what they had to say to each other. Rukia quietly busied Renji in conversation as Torio returned with tea and food for them, then left with the other attendants, leaving the three alone. The three ate first, exchanging only necessary words until Rukia was satisfied that Byakuya had eaten a sufficient amount, then Torio returned to take away their plates, leaving them alone again to talk.

"I know that the two of you have many questions. Ask what you must. I will answer to the best of my ability."

Rukia glanced at Renji and looked down into her teacup for a moment.

"It's hard to know what to ask, Nii-sama," she confessed, "We heard your testimony, so we know basically what happened...and Tetsuya-san pointed out some things for us to consider that calmed us somewhat. It's just so hard to take in that there is this whole side of you that Renji and I do not know at all."

"I get that Aizen seduced you and that you were close," said Renji, "And I can understand how you wouldn't have known enough about the hougyoku to know just how dangerous it was. But...what I can't get past is that after he took you from Soukyoku Hill and imprisoned you in Las Noches...after he restored your memory, you didn't try to escape him! And you slept with him, Taichou! How could you do that? I mean, you were up there looking down where we were fighting for our lives, and you were sleeping with our enemy? How could you do that? How?"

Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment and let out a shaky breath.

"That's really not a fair question, Renji," Rukia said, shaking her head, "Remember that Nii-sama and Aizen were lovers, and that they have a child together. And the hougyoku was still concealing Amaya-chan. That was a lot to deal with!"

"You do not need to defend me to Renji," Byakuya said solemnly, "He is right to question my actions. I admit to being of two minds while with Sousuke in Las Noches. After all, he had been my lover...a man I dreamed of marrying and staying with for the rest of my life. But...when I realized how strong the hougyoku's control over him was...I didn't know what to do. I was on the verge of both losing him and perhaps never getting our daughter back. And as much as you might well put a goodly portion of the blame on Sousuke, realize that once the hougyoku took Amaya, he was as trapped into his path as I was into mine."

"So...I guess that the question that really matters is when exactly Aizen lost control of his situation," suggested Rukia, "Because if it was more recent, then he is responsible for all of his actions against the Gotei 13, Central 46 and the spirit king. But...if he was corrupted and manipulated earlier...then the responsibility would rest upon the hougyoku itself."

"But...I thought that Aizen made the hougyoku!" objected Renji, "If he just made it to..."

"Sousuke created the hougyoku to make himself stronger...but because I believe he was already under the hougyoku's influence to some degree by the time he and I became involved, it is my belief that it was the hougyoku that manipulated him into moving against the king."

"But, Taichou, the hougyoku is just a thing! Just a thing that Aizen made to make his desires happen...to gain power and to topple the king. Aizen himself said that!"

"You mean, Aizen when he was clearly corrupted by the hougyoku's power. So it is reckless to assume that everything he said was true. Renji, the hougyoku revealed to me long ago that it does not just make others' desires come true. It uses that power to its own ends. And it used that power against me when it caused me to become pregnant with Sousuke's child. I almost died. I would have, but Sousuke found me and he made sure that I survived. And when our daughter was taken, and I began to come apart, he took my memories as an act of mercy. He knew when Hisana died and things became so much that I tried to take my own life, that I could not bear the truth anymore. He was able to convince the hougyoku to let him take my memories. He told me later that it offered to place me in the same time-stopped place as Amaya had been, but Sousuke refused and instead took the memories to ease my mind. He tried numerous times to convince the hougyoku to allow Amaya to return, but it was sentient, Renji, and it knew that Amaya was the only thing it had that it could successfully use to manipulate him."

"Damn," said the redhead, "I guess I just don't understand how something he created could have been that powerful...so powerful that it controlled him and..."

"And he at first would not believe it, and later would not accept it. It was at first uncertainty, and then denial. But always, I knew that the hougyoku was more treacherous than he realized. And now that it is sealed away, it is a temptation to think it better to leave him bound and sealed in that prison along with it."

Renji's eyes widened.

"Taichou, please tell me that you are not going to suggest that we just let him go. You know what we endured to finally capture him! You know what he put us all through...and whether it was the hougyoku or him, they are really one and the same now, right? It's not like they can be separated. And even if they were, how would we know that it was really the hougyoku responsible for everything and not him? It could be that he is just trying to use that as an excuse...that he set you up to..."

"Abarai," Byakuya said, lowering his eyes, "I know Sousuke in a way that no one else does. Although he shielded me from the full truth of things, I know the heart of the man and he would not have wanted to harm innocent people...take a million lives in a heinous way just to avenge the unfair treatment he received from Central 46. If he perceived that it was wrong for Central 46 to infringe upon his rights by incarcerating him when he was a child and had never dreamed of doing harm to anyone, how then would it make sense that he would trample the rights of a million innocent people just to get revenge for the injustice he faced?"

"You assume that he has morals that I just can't see in him, Taichou," Renji said, shaking his head, "I don't think that you can make that assumption about him...and I think you know that."

"I will not ask either of you to take Sousuke's side in this. In fact, it would be dangerous to do so. But please trust that _I_ know right from wrong and that I will pursue justice for both the hougyoku and Sousuke."

"What do you mean, Nii-sama?" asked Rukia, "You mean to...?"

"I mean to find a way to separate Sousuke from the hougyoku, destroy that thing, and then prove that it was what corrupted him. Once that is done, there will be no choice but for Central 46 to offer him a conditional release into clan custody."

"So you do plan to try to get him out?" Renji said, pain and rising anger in his voice.

"Yes, but only once the hougyoku has been separated from him and destroyed, and once it has been proven that the hougyoku was responsible for the very hatching of his plans against the Gotei 13, Central 46 and the king."

"And if they find that he is guilty of making those plans himself?" Rukia asked.

"I know in my heart that he won't be...but if he was, I would accept the ruling, however devastating it is, and I would settle for visitation. After all, he is the father of my children, and whatever he has done...whatever punishment he must suffer, I want him to have a connection with them."

"Even if that put them in danger of being corrupted by their association with him?" Renji asked pointedly, "Don't you think that, as a responsible parent, you shouldn't expose them to someone who has committed horrid crimes and has shown no remorse?"

Byakuya met Renji's eyes squarely.

"We do not know what part of the guilt belongs to Sousuke, and as much as I believe that he was manipulated into the violence and lack of regard for life that he showed, I will not claim that I know for certain he is innocent of that. And I ask you to reserve judgment until all of the evidence is gathered and it is determined and delineated by Central 46 exactly what his role was."

Renji took a stiff breath, tightened his lips and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Taichou. But...whatever the truth is, I can't accept the idea of Aizen walking free. And I think that even if we gave you the benefit of the doubt, you wouldn't find a lot of others who would. I know that you want a different answer, but in all honesty, I can't give you the answer you want. I'm sorry. I can't."

Byakuya went very quiet and gazed down into his teacup in silence.

"I will wait for the decision of Central 46," said Rukia, "And Nii-sama...just know that, whatever the outcome, I will not hold this against you. Whether it was the hougyoku or Aizen at fault, you were not to blame. Aizen lured you in...and I can't say that, put in the same situation, I could have done better."

"Rukia's right," Renji agreed, "And as much as I can't forgive Aizen, I will stand by you."

"Thank you," Byakuya said softly, "Please excuse me now. I have some things to see to."

"Nii-sama, please don't go. You should rest first. Or...I'll walk in the gardens with you...something."

"I appreciate your desire to watch over me...but...there are things I must see to myself."

"Then let me go with you," said Renji, "You should be kind of careful while things are unsettled."

Byakuya shook his head gently.

"Do not concern yourselves. Tetsuya has committed himself to taking the fall with me. He is accustomed to facing the disdain of others. I do not want the two of you involved...not in any way."

Renji bit his lip, an injured look in his eyes.

"Look, Taichou, I told you. Even though I can't accept what Aizen did, I don't hold this against you! Don't...back off from us, just because we..."

"It is not about you disagreeing with me," Byakuya said solemnly, "It is about controlling damage. I will not put either of you in the line of fire. And I will not accept you endangering yourselves. Now...if you will excuse me, I must attend to other things. Renji, I have been placed on administrative leave. You are going to be running the sixth division until things are settled and it is decided whether or not I will face criminal trial and/or court martial. I do not think that you have time to worry about what I am doing here. Please, do not let me keep you from your duties."

"T-taichou...," Renji began, but he stopped, and realizing the futility of argument, he shook his head and did not object further.

"What about me, Nii-sama?" asked Rukia, "You know I am here for you..."

"I know," he said, nodding briefly, "And you can best ease my mind by staying away from this. Do not attend the next interrogation and do not otherwise involve yourself. You will only get hurt."

"But...Nii-sama!"

"Please excuse me," Byakuya said, rising and flash stepping away.

Rukia looked in the direction he had gone with devastated eyes.

"Renji, we have to do something. We have to help Nii-sama...somehow!"

Renji followed the direction of her eyes and considered his words carefully.

"I will help to protect him," the redhead said unhappily, "but I'll be damned if I'll raise a finger to help get Aizen freed...no matter what the hougyoku did! He's still responsible. He still made that thing!"

"But have you considered," said Rukia, "that someone else we know...made a hougyoku too?"


	31. Devil Around My Heart

**Chapter 31: Devil Around My Heart**

**(Sorry for the confusion, but this is not the new chapter. Chapter 30 is the new chapter and this one used to be chapter 30, but is now chapter 31. *sighs* I hope that makes sense!)**

Byakuya stood quietly as the prison guards searched him, then allowed him to step forward into the cellblock. He followed his escort down several corridors to a heavily guarded door and paused while the guards unlocked the cell and let him inside. A chill went through him as the door clanked shut behind him, and he was left alone in near darkness with his heavily bound lover.

He stood for a moment, letting his eyes adjust, then moved around to the bound man's front, where he followed the prescribed order to only uncover Aizen's one eye, nose and mouth. the man beneath the bindings flinched at being touched, but then caught his breath in surprise.

"You..." he said, dismissively, "Why are _you_ here?"

Byakuya took a steadying breath.

"I am here because I wished to see the father of my children," he replied softly, "Sousuke..."

"You know that name means nothing," Aizen said coldly, "You know that _you_ mean nothing. Twenty thousand years tied up in here means _nothing_ to someone like me!"

"I have missed you, Sousuke," Byakuya went on, as though he hadn't heard, "I have had to relive everything during my questioning, and I may face trial, if Central 46 decides that I am culpable."

"Would they let us share a cell, then?" Aizen hissed softly, "I could use a good fuck, now and then."

"We are considered provisionally married by my clan, because we have children together. I am permitted to have relations with you, if we so wish it."

"Are you teasing me...or will you really spread those pretty thighs for me so easily?"

Byakuya gazed into Aizen's uncovered brown eye steadily.

"I will give myself to you, if you wish it. I am as a husband to you."

"You are a WHORE!" screamed Aizen, "You know that I am in control, but you offer yourself as though it was for _him_!"

"It is for him," Byakuya said calmly, "I love you, Sousuke."

He moved forward to stand in front of Aizen, then slowly slid onto his lap, spreading his slender legs and wrapping them around Aizen's bound body.

"What are you _doing_?" demanded Aizen, "Are you teasing me again? Get away from me! I am done with you, you insignificant little slut!"

Byakuya ignored the insults and touched his fingers lightly to Aizen's face. The man's uncovered eye flared, and his mouth continued to loose taunts and furious epithets. Byakuya shouldered the words quietly, looking steadily into Aizen's eye with a patient, loving expression. And as the man's mouth continued to hurl insults, Byakuya traced the angry lips with his fingertips and bent to kiss Aizen's nose and face. Aizen's body quivered, and he sensed a struggle going on. He sat calmly on Aizen's lap, still kissing the small bits of exposed skin. Aizen's chest heaved and his lips moved, but the wicked words faded, and he whispered the noble's name.

"Byakuya..."

"Sousuke," Byakuya whispered back, his lips curving upward.

"Why did you come here? Do you really want to see me in this condition?"

"I love you. Isn't it is right that I should come to you?" the noble asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt you to hear the wicked words the hougyoku greets you with?" Aizen asked.

Byakuya bent to lightly kiss his uncovered eye, then his nose, and finally, his lips. This time, Aizen met his lips eagerly, straining within his bonds as he opened his mouth and captured the noble's mouth in a long, plundering kiss.

"I am accustomed to the hougyoku's cruelty," Byakuya whispered between hard, passionate kisses, "I care nothing about it. That stone has no powers save talk. And it can hurt no one with that."

Aizen smiled.

"Once again, you amaze me, watashi no koi. But didn't you say that we would be allowed to be intimate?"

"Yes," said the noble, sliding off of Aizen's lap and walking to the cell door, "At first, they would not allow it, but I was able to secure permission after some discussion of precautions."

He spoke to the guard for a moment, then waited as the man entered the room and activated an enclosing shield around them. Byakuya walked back to Aizen and began to unbind him.

"The device they have used has placed us within a dimensional chamber that we cannot exit until you are bound again. But it will allow us to be together."

"But are you certain that you wish to risk the hougyoku attempting to become violent?" Aizen asked.

"It won't," Byakuya assured him, "If the device surrounding us senses an attack, then it will incapacitate us both and the guards will place you back in your bindings."

Aizen gave a groan of relief as his arms were freed, and he stretched them carefully, then watched as Byakuya worked at the rest of his bonds. When he was free, Byakuya helped him to his feet and assisted him in walking around the chamber several times until his legs were more steady.

"Thank you," Aizen said quietly, offering him a more chaste kiss of gratitude, "You are truly a blessing, Byakuya. If not for you, I would never have any relief from sitting bound like that. I am only sorry that the hougyoku was so cruel to you."

"I am well acquainted with that thing's cruelty."

Aizen stopped beside a cot that had been placed in the chamber, and watched as Byakuya untied their yukatas. He stepped forward and pressed his body up against the noble's, capturing his lips again and wrapping his arms around Byakuya. The noble held onto him tightly as Aizen plundered his mouth again and slid his hand down to wrap around their bared members. His hand slid slowly up and down their swollen arousals, capturing the pearly fluid that leaked out of them, squeezing gently to coax out more, then rubbing the warm fluid all over their thrusting members. Byakuya nipped at Aizen's lips and shifted restlessly, moaning softly as Aizen's hand pleasured their hardened erections. He caught his breath softly as he was suddenly taken off his feet and tossed down onto the bed and a strong hand parted his soft thighs.

Aizen's hands gripped the noble's inner thighs tightly, as his mouth captured his damp cock and treated it to a dizzying assault of strong, licks and heavy suction that stole Byakuya's breath away. He moaned and panted harshly, unable to stop himself from thrusting carefully into the other man's mouth as the intensely erotic contact continued. He flinched at the sudden shock of cool air as Aizen's mouth left his length and attacked the soft, sensitive skin of his inner thighs, then moved on to slowly treasure each side of his sac. He moved down farther and teased the noble's entrance, then probed it with his tongue. He returned to Byakuya's stiff erection and sank down on it again, at the same time pushing his fingers into the wetted entrance to prepare him. Byakuya's eyelids fluttered fitfully and his moans grew louder as Aizen's pumping fingers and sucking mouth brought the gasping noble to the brink of orgasm and held him suspended there.

"Oh, gods, Sousuke!" he panted, "You torture me!"

Aizen laughed softly around a mouthful of blushing genitalia, then let Byakuya's piqued erection slide out of his mouth.

"Worse than those fools questioning you?"

"They are at least civil!" Byakuya moaned, "You torment me!"

"Ah yes, it must be the cruelty of that damned hogyoku affecting me, ne?"

Byakuya scowled.

"How can you even make jokes about that, Sousuke?" he snapped.

A moment later, he found himself breathless and gasping for air as Aizen mouth returned to his cock and renewed his attentions, closing his eyes and sucking hard until the noble's pleasure crested and he was swept over into a powerful climax. Aizen's mouth tightened around his member, and he swallowed several times, then slowly licked and caressed Byakuya's sated privates, wearing a lovely, serene expression.

He fell on the noble's mouth then, kissing him hard and sharing the warm, beautiful flavors of his explorations.

"If there is one thing I have missed," Aizen whispered, "it is the taste of you! I crave that, Byakuya...more than anything. And I feared that I would never taste you again."

"I will come to you as often as they will allow it," Byakuya promised.

"Thank you," Aizen sighed, closing his eyes, "You make my incarceration here much more bearable."

He left off kissing Byakuya and rolled him onto his stomach, then send delighted shivers through the noble's by placing a line of kisses down the back of his neck and down his spine, then pausing to kiss his perfect, white bottom. He spread Byakuya's thighs and entered him from behind, taking him in short, powerful thrusts until he was deep inside the noble. He licked the back of Byakuya's sweet, pale neck and sucked on his earlobe, smiling at the way he pushed his bottom upward, asking then more demanding him to move.

When he moved, he didn't hold back, but loosed a barrage of heavy, grinding thrusts, making Byakuya moan and pant loudly as Aizen's member repeatedly struck the bundle of sensitive nerves inside him. Aizen's chest heaved where it pressed against Byakuya's sweating back, and the prisoner's hips thrust hard into the noble's body. Pleasure swept over him, holding him tightly as he emptied himself into Byakuya's writhing form. The noble gave a scream of completion and collapsed in a heap onto the cot, with Aizen still clinging to him and entrenched within his body.

They laid together, exchanging kisses and touches as their sated bodies gradually recovered.

"I am going to get you out of here," Byakuya said, looking up into Aizen's dark eyes.

Aizen smiled.

"A jailbreak? he queried, "I don't think so..."

"Not a jailbreak," Byakuya went on, as Aizen continued kissing him and caressed his soft, warm privates, "First, I am going to prove to Central 46 that the hougyoku instigated your actions against the king, and then, Urahara Kisuke is going to help me to destroy it!"

He felt a quiver in the hands that touched him, and Aizen's voice sounded warningly.

"You will not be able to overcome the hougyoku. It is fused with me. It is a part of me. And it _will_ find a way to kill you if you do attempt this."

"Then, I will happily yield my life making an end of it. I am not afraid, Sousuke."

He inhaled sharply as Aizen's hands tightened on him painfully.

"You have no idea what you are dealing with!" Aizen warned him.

"I may not," said the noble, "but that is why I have convinced Urahara Kisuke to assist me. We will get you free of that thing, and then I will get you released so that you can be with our children and with me again...this time, permanently."

"You are dreaming, watashi no koi," Aizen said, teasing the noble's silken hair with his fingers.

"Yes," said Byakuya, lacing their fingers together, "I am dreaming of the future we are going to have."

XXXXXXXXXX

Senbonzakura woke to the very odd and beautiful feeling of gentle fingers touching his unmasked face. He was masked so much of the time that being touched there felt dizzying and intensely erotic, especially because of the identity of the one who was touching him that way.

"I thought that you were sleeping," he said drowsily, blinking questioningly at the slender green-eyed man that laid beside him, leaning over him.

"I was sleeping," whispered Kyouka Suigetsu, "But I sensed great beauty near my resting body and I wanted to look upon it. I assure you, Master Samurai, I did not overextend myself gazing at your lovely face."

"But you didn't sleep either," said Sen, frowning, "You have been through..."

"A horrible ordeal," said the other spirit, "A crushing betrayal. Yes, I know. However, being near you has infused me with new strength, Master Samurai. I feel much better after having lain close to you, breathed in your wickedly sweet scent and ogled your heavenly features. But...I fear that looking is no longer enough..."

Senbonzakura turned and tried to escape the bed, but an arm wrapped around him and brought him down on the bed, where he was met with a hot marauding mouth that captured and plundered his, strong, possessive hands that roamed the gentle curves of his body and pleasured his pale flesh.

"Where are you going?" Kyouka Suigetsu asked, "Are you going to abandon me, when you have just gone to the tremendous effort of bringing me back from the brink of death? How cruel you are! You must at very least offer me the warmth of your arms and the delight of a few innocent kisses."

"Stop that!" snapped the samurai, trying to scowl, but not quite managing to do so as the other spirit invaded his mouth again, first with gentler, more chaste kisses, but then growing steadily more passionate.

"How can you ask me to stop, when you sit there, teasing me so shamelessly with that angelic body?" Kyouka Suigetsu asked, making Sen blush furiously.

"You..."

"I love you, Senbonzakura," he said, making the samurai go silent and still.

Sen's lips parted and his eyes closed.

"I love you too."

Kyouka Suigetsu slipped a palm beneath his chin and raised his eyes so that theirs met.

"How do you know it is real?" he whispered, "My love for you, your love for me, the love between our masters...any love. It is all just speculation...want...need...desire. We build these illusions upon emotion and we try to live them, but can we? Can we really?"

"I do not know," Sen answered calmly, teasing the other spirit's lips with a soft tongue, "But I would like to try."

Kyouka Suigetsu sighed and rubbed his cheek against the lovely samurai's.

"Then we will try together. I wish that I could promise you something, anything. But we both know that my very existence hangs in the balance. I don't know what has kept me alive, Sen. But I think it is you. Still...if I am not reunited with my master soon, then..."

"Shh," the samurai whispered, stopping him with the light touch of soft fingertips on his lips.

The fingertips were removed and replaced with warm, loving lips that caressed his until he couldn't think anymore about Aizen Sousuke or the hougyoku that had stolen him away. He couldn't think about his feelings of loss and the ache of abandonment. Senbonzakura's arms were strong and willing. His blue eyes radiated with honest affection. His loving kisses made all of the unpleasant things disappear, and left Kyouka Suigetsu peaceful and genuinely happy inside.

And after the years of pain, and the heavy shocks of betrayal and loss, he was ready to embrace that happiness for as long as it lasted.

He pulled away from Senbonzakura and laid the samurai down on his back, spreading all of that beautiful, thick unbound hair out around him and peeling back his yukata to bare the heavenly body beneath it. Then he invaded the samurai's pretty mouth, plunging inside and treasuring every inch. He ran his hands over that warm, yielded flesh and rubbed his body wantonly against it, leaving a blush on Sen's skin as they kissed harder and ground their hips together.

He wet his fingers and slid them into the samurai's entrance, continuing their deep, savory kisses as he carefully prepared him, then spread his legs wide. He gazed down at Sen's comely, smiling face and couldn't help smiling back...smiling and feeding him grateful kisses as he positioned himself and pushed inside the entrance.

Sen gave a hungry moan and arched up against his lover's body. The sound traveled through Kyouka Suigetsu's body, setting his hips in motion and coaxing more beautiful sounds from the panting samurai. They laced their fingers together and locked eyes, the samurai's hands clenching the other man's shoulders as Kyouka Suigetsu loosed the full fury of his affections.

Sen's eyes glazed over and his hips rose up to meet his lover's hard, grinding thrusts. His sweet, panting moans rose into louder cries of pleasure, then into a howl of completion as the two climaxed together.

Kyouka Suigetsu let his body fall carelessly onto Sen's and closed his eyes, leaving his member inside the samurai as they drifted off.

_Whatever happens to me now, it doesn't matter._

_I can never feel alone, being loved by someone like him._


	32. Not Alone

**Chapter 32: Not Alone**

**(By request for Sariniste and RosyDigzzz23! :) Enjoy!)**

Kisuke sighed in frustration, scowling at the paper he was reading, setting it down and studying the computer screen in front of them, then typing madly for several minutes, scowling again and letting out a frustrated breath.

"Damn it!" he hissed softly, "This is impossible. Kuchiki, you are _dreaming_ if you think you are going to find a way to destroy this thing..."

His eye strayed to the video screen off to one side of him, where an image of Senbonzakura sleeping in Kyoka Suigetsu's arms greeted him.

_They might not appreciate the invasion of privacy if they knew, but there is no way I'm trusting any part of that freak, even if he did abandon it._

He found himself suddenly entranced by the lovely revealed face of Byakuya's zanpakutou. But as he gazed at the sleeping samurai, an odd, uncomfortable feeling passed over him.

"Huh," he muttered, shaking his head and turning his eyes away.

He was surprised to note that the feeling left him as soon as he was no longer looking at the samurai's face.

"Weird," he grunted, shaking his head and returning to the papers he had been reading.

"Urahara-san," said Byakuya from somewhere behind him.

"Hey, Byakuya-san," he greeted the noble, "You have a good visit with the former Creepy taichou?"

Byakuya ignored his comment completely.

"Have you had any luck searching through your records?"

"Ah..." the shopkeeper sighed. unhappily, "I wish I could say I had, but unfortunately, I'm coming up as empty as I did when I tried this a hundred years ago. Byakuya-san, I just don't see how..."

"Talk to me, then," said the noble, "Even if it's just thinking out loud."

"Aww, come on!" Kisuke said impatiently, "As sharp as you are, do you really think that you are gonna be smarter and more crafty in your thinking than me and Kurotsuchi taichou and the whole group of Vizards? It's just not..."

"No...do not tell me that it is impossible," Byakuya insisted, his eyes darkening, "Impossibility is overcome every day by imaginative thinking and creative strategy, isn't that what you always say?"

"Gods, I hate it when you spew my own words back at me..." the shopkeeper complained.

"Perhaps you should consider not throwing them about so carelessly," the noble suggested sedately.

He noticed suddenly the monitor showing Senbonzakura and Kyoka Suigetsu sleeping in each others' arms, the samurai's face fully revealed.

"Excuse me, for a moment," Byakuya said, making Kisuke look up and shake his head in dismay as he turnied out of the laboratory.

He walked through the long hallway and made his way down into the underground training area, then drew his weapon and sat down, balancing the sword on its tip in front of him and focusing deeply.

He touched down gently in his inner world, and found the two spirits sleeping in each others' arms, as they had been in the bedroom. Senbonzakura's eye opened as he sensed that his master had returned to their inner world, and he disentangled himself from Kyouka Suigetsu and followed the noble to a tree that overlooked a small lake. They sat down, side-by-side, looking down at each other in the mirrored surface of the water.

"Are you angry with me, my master?" the samurai asked softly.

"I am curious," said Byakuya, looking down at Sen's guileless face in the water, "You are able to reveal your face to Kyouka Suigetsu, as you do to me...and he is not affected by it?"

Sen thought for a moment.

"What makes you think he is not affected?" he asked, "What makes you think that you are not?"

"Senbonzakura, I have sensed for some time that when you remove your mask and you allow me to look upon your face, I feel that something is happening. And when I walked into Urahara-san's laboratory and observed him looking at your face on the monitor, something odd happened. I didn't say anything to him, but I want to discuss it with you."

"Yes, Master?"

"Urahara-san looked uncomfortable," Byakuya explained, "And I remember feeling something similar when I looked upon your face before, myself. It seems almost as though one sees your face and begins to see something reflected there."

Senbonzakura smiled at their reflections in the water.

"You have become aware, then," he said, nodding, "I suppose it is time."

"Perhaps," Byakuya agreed, "Will you explain this ability to me?"

"Yes, Master. It is true that looking upon my revealed face causes a reflection. Just as the petals of our shikai and bankai catch the light as the pieces fall, what is captured in the reflection is the light of truth."

"Truth," Byakuya repeated softly.

"Truth," Senbonzakura affirmed, "You say that Urahara-san looked uncomfortable? The truth is that seeing oneself without the blinders of illusion can be painful."

Byakuya caught his breath softly, turning and gazing into Sen's eyes, feeling the strange sense he had felt before of being pierced to the core...opened...laid bare.

"Senbonzakura," he whispered breathlessly, staring raptly and feeling jolts of apprehension as the zanpakutou intensified his power.

Their inner world seemed to fade around him, and Byakuya found himself drawn down into his core and forced to see himself for the person he was...obedient and dutiful on the surface, but secretly less restrained, more brash than he dared to reveal to those around him. And he saw his glaring faults, laid bare and cutting, sending flickers of pain and annoyance through him and increasing his discomfort.

He took several slow, deep breaths, coping quietly with the unflattering reveal of himself, acknowledging each positive and negative aspect...gradually coming to terms with them.

_It is painful being stricken with one's faults and shortcomings, _he thought to himself, _We do so much without thinking to hide ourselves from the uncomfortable truths. We create shadings about ourselves, carefully crafted lies that dim the truth and make it more acceptable. Yes. Yes, I see now._

"I wear the mask that I do, because it is necessary to hold back the reveal of truth sometimes. But truth revealed is a powerful thing indeed. And with this power, you and I can know the truth of any other. And we can reveal that truth to the person...or to others in our presence."

"Fascinating," Byakuya whispered, blinking slowly and letting what he had learned wash slowly over him.

He looked over at Kyouka Suigetsu's sleeping form, and felt a twinge of fate touch him.

"Senbonzakura, you say that you can reveal a soul to others?" he asked softly, his gaze intensifying.

"Yes."

"Could you use this power to reveal Kyouka Suigetsu to the Central 46 council?"

"What?" Sen asked, looking alarmed, "Byakuya...!"

"Think, Sen. I have been desperate to prove to the council that Sousuke acted as he did because after creating the hougyoku, he was slowly overcome by his creation. Yes, he bears guilt for creating the device, but even so, he should not bear the price for crimes it used him to commit. Kyouka Suigetsu was there through it all. He knows exactly the path of the hougyoku's wrath."

"But you know that because his master has been convicted of a capital crime, he will be destroyed!"

"No," Byakuya said firmly, "The council has agreed to hear me out about Sousuke's involvement in what happened. That means that they have found there to be doubt about Sousuke's culpability for his own actions. But just as we must prove that the hougyoku had a hold over the two of them from farther back, we must also leave no room for doubt in what Kyouka Suigetsu reveals to the council. They will have Sousuke at that interrogation as well. And you know that, pressed by what is happening, the hougyoku will become angry."

"Master, it could lash out at everyone!"

"The hougyoku is sealed," Byakuya reminded him, "but pushed to anger, it can be made to concur with what you reveal, revealing the council's own role in the creation of the hougyoku and therefore, some responsibility in what happened."

Senbonzakura went quiet for a moment, then gazed down at the sleeping Kyouka Suigetsu and nodded.

"I see the sense in what you are saying, Master. They will never be allowed to live, nor to be free again of Central 46 or the hougyoku unless the council is shown the truth and they are not able to deny it."

"Then, you will convince Kyouka Suigetsu to cooperate with the investigation and you will reveal him before the Central 46 council?"

"I will."

"Arigatou, Senbonzakura. I must go now and make preparations. When he wakes, please inform him about our plans."

"I will. But Master...?"

Byakuya met his zanpakutou's eyes quietly.

"Please be careful. If the hougyoku senses what you are doing, it could find a way to lash out hard enough to break the seal. If that was to happen..."

"I understand, and I will be cautious. But the truth must be told, Senbonzakura."

"Yes. The truth must be told."

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke's one uncovered eye opened and fixed on the door to his cell as a loud click and a grinding noise accompanied its opening and a group of Central 46 guards approached him.

"What is this?" he asked in a soft, sneering voice as the men ignored him and prepared the seat he was bound to for transport, "Where are you taking me?"

The guards neither looked at him, nor answered his hissed, sarcastic questions as they removed him from the cell and wheeled him towards the Central 46 meeting chambers. He quieted as they approached the meeting chambers, watching the area around him with his one seeing eye and listening carefully. He picked up the sound of a jumble of voices in the hallway ahead of them, which fell almost silent as the guards approached. The sound of footsteps reached him, and the hallway outside the chamber was nearly deserted by the time he reached it. Only Byakuya, Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke stood waiting as he arrived. Aizen's lips curled into a cruel sneer as he reached them.

"Oh...I see. My partner in crime stands before the council as well, ne?" he said sedately, "I will be certain to tell them everything, Byakuya, dear...how I seduced you, a litany of our hot, sinful nights together...and how you were involved in my plans, from beginning to end. That _is _why they brought me here, isn't it? To testify to your part in all of this to decide whether or not to execute you?"

Byakuya looked back at him quietly and said nothing.

"I shall enjoy burning the ears off these old relics with tales of our passions and perversions, Byakuya," he breathed wickedly, "When I am done, you will be glad to face execution so that the Kuchiki name cannot fall any further into foulness and dishonor."

Byakuya continued to shoulder his venom in silence, leading the bound shinigami to pause and study his oddly calm expression.

"What are you about?" he demanded, "You look very smug for a man about to be handed a death sentence for high treason, Byakuya. Tell me. Do you think that you have some chance of escaping it? I will tell you that even with those two pathetic fools at your side, you have no hope of escaping your fate. That was decided long ago. That was decided when you opened your heart and your bedroom door to me. You were a very enthralling little whore, Byakuya. Do you think the councilors will demand to see the technique you use when sucking me off? I would be more than happy to offer a demonstration."

"That's enough," snapped the guard, "Take him inside to wait."

Byakuya swallowed hard, his heart pounding as the chamber door opened and Aizen was wheeled in.

"You sure that you want to go through with this, Byakuya-san?" Kisuke asked, looking as Aizen passed them and the doors closed again behind him, "You know that guy will do his best to shake the council's confidence in you and your story."

"I do not have any choice," Byakuya answered solemnly, "I was facing several charges already. However, Senbonzakura's power can undo what the stone tries to do. Remember, although the hougyoku has use of Aizen's tongue to make argument, it does not have its powers."

"We think, anyway," Kisuke said dourly.

"You had best hope that seal you placed on him holds," Byakuya said firmly, "If it does not, then I will not be the only one to die. I wager that no one will walk out of that council room alive, and we will have a battle on our hands akin to what occurred in the war. And as Kurosaki Ichigo has already sacrificed his powers, we do not stand a chance against that power."

"Eh...I guess you are right," the shopkeeper sighed, "So, just remember, Yoruichi and I will be ready to get you out if things go bad. Regardless of what the council decides, you are our best chance of finding a way to destroy that thing."

"I understand," Byakuya said softly, his heart in his throat as the doors opened again and the three were waved along.

They entered the Central 46 chambers side-by-side, glancing up at the neat row of shields that hid the visages of the attending councilors. They walked inside the chamber and Yoruichi and Kisuke took places in the gallery, while Byakuya moved forward to where Aizen had been positioned in the middle of the chamber. Aizen's eye rotated to fix on him as he took his place alongside the Seireitei's most dangerous criminal, marveling at the irony of the fact that he was now going to do everything within his power to free that man.

"You look lovely, Byakuya," Aizen said, loudly enough for the gathered councilors to hear, "so very lovely. Although, I much prefer you naked and laid out on our bed with my essence blending with the sweat on your skin after a long, delicious fuck."

"Silence!" the head councilor snapped, cutting him off, "You will maintain your silence unless given council permission to speak."

"You did not call me here to speak to you?" Aizen continued, ignoring the head councilor's warning, "Then, why am I here? I was under the impression that you sought my testimony so that you could pass judgment on my beautiful accomplice and set him on the Soukyoku. You do not wish to hear me recount his long list of sweetly lascivious sins, then? I would be happy to share them."

"This is your last warning, Aizen Sousuke," the head councilor said angrily, his reiatsu flickering dangerously, "One more word and you will have your mouth bound and will not be able to speak at all!"

Aizen's lips sneered wickedly, but he fell silent. The head councilor looked down at the report in front of him, then continued.

"The Central 46 council is now in session. Special agenda item...the determination of guilt of former taichou of the fifth division, Aizen Sousuke and current taichou of the sixth division, Kuchiki Byakuya. We will now hear new testimony from Kuchiki Byakuya as relates to this matter."

The head councilor's eyes blazed so fiercely behind the concealing shield that Byakuya was certain he could feel the burning on his skin. He was silently grateful at not having to look into the councilors' eyes, to see their disdain and to feel the crushing of his honor and reputation.

_But if we can do this, then our honor and our lives can be restored. I will win my own redemption and take Sousuke back from that foul thing. There will come a day when we can enjoy quiet walks in my gardens at home, when we may eat and talk and lie down together to enjoy each other freely, without having to hide. Sousuke, we will know days like that again. We will. We will defeat the will of the hougyoku...and we will find the way to destroy it!_

"Kuchiki Byakuya," the head councilor said solemnly, "You said that you had uncovered new evidence that would support your earlier testimony, and that would establish your innocence and Aizen Sousuke's of the charges of high treason against you. This is your chance to do that. Please present your evidence."

Byakuya nodded briefly, then touched the hilt of his zanpakutou, closing his eyes and calling on the spirit within the blade. Gasps rose around the room as, not one, but two spirits appeared. Voices collided in a cacophony of sound, but somehow Aizen Sousuke's voice managed to rise above him.

"YOU!" he hissed furiously, "I THOUGHT THAT I DISPOSED OF YOU...KYOUKA SUIGETSU! I WATCHED YOU CRUMBLE. YOU USELESS, UNBELIEVABLY POOR EXCUSE FOR A SWORD!"

The green-eyed spirit paled and swayed dangerously on his feet, but found himself steadied as Senbonzakura's hand slid into his.

"It is time now," he said softly into the other spirit's ear, "That thing stole everything from you. It is time for you to take it back!"


	33. Shattered Illusions

**Chapter 33: Shattered Illusions**

**(Thanks so much to everyone reading and to kind reviewers Sariniste (Well, I fell asleep before finishing, but got up early to get the last part finished. And now, I'm so excited about it, I am writing the next already!), SlytherinQueen020 (LOL, but it's exciting, right?), MissLilly2012 (Aww, thanks! I am so glad you are excited about this one! :) Here you go!), Safa56bmc (This one will turn that sigh into a scream!), WinterStorm03 (You've got it! And more is on the way. I am finishing this beauty off very soon!), SexyBVirgo (Aww, thanks! :) You're the best!), Baby-Ayatane (I was also disbelieving that, given how obvious it was that the hougyoku was not a thing, but a complex spirit with a menacing ability, it did not occur to them at all to explore whether Aizen was actually in control of himself when he committed his crimes. Ah well...), and Berty05 (I am so blessed to have readers like you supporting me. It gives me BUCKETS of motivation! Thanks! *hugs*), **

"Order!" shouted the Central 46 head councilor, banging his gavel loudly on the table in front of him, "_We will have order_!"

"Get that weak, miserable _thing_ away from me!" Aizen snarled, his eyes glowing dangerously golden, "WHY DID YOU COME HERE? I watched you crumble. I watched you die! I felt you fade from my inner world! You should be dead, Kyouka Suigetsu! Get out! Get out, DAMN YOU!"

The former taichou's savage eye turned on Byakuya.

"This is your plan to save your skin? You bring this pathetic, useless spirit here to tell the lies he'll tell to protect you? And why is he doing this? Because he is fucking your own silly zanpakutou? You should give up. They are never going to believe a word he says! Why should they? _He _was the one protecting me from discovery! He was my partner in deceiving them!"

"It is all right, Sousuke," Byakuya said in a shockingly calm voice, "Kyouka Suigetsu is going to provide the evidence that is needed to free you."

The chambers erupted into a sea of shouts and objections. Byakuya's heart raced and he looked left and right as the head councilor's gavel crashed down on the table repeatedly until the shinigamis in the room settled again. Aizen, too, quieted, his lips smirking as his eye fixed on Byakuya again.

"Go ahead, then, Byakuya," he said dulcetly, "If you are so convinced that this court will listen to that deceitful thing's lies, then do your best. But...I think you will be very disappointed. You are going to die, Byakuya. Your name will be cursed as mine is and you will face the burning flame of the soukyoku! You are finished, you and that ridiculous, lying little traitor."

"Bind his mouth," the head councilor ordered.

"Wait!" Byakuya objected, "With your permission, I wish for his mouth to be left unbound. I need him that way to produce my evidence!"

The head councilor frowned behind his shield.

"Kuchiki taichou, I am surprised that, given the manner in which he is tarnishing your reputation and lowering your chances of exoneration, you are still allowing him leave to lash out at you. I will warn you now that, at this moment, this council stands almost unanimously against you. It is not too late for you to retract your intent to argue the accusations and accept a plea agreement in exchange for a complete divulgence of everything you know about Aizen Sousuke's dealings. You would certainly lose your place in the military and be removed from leadership of your clan, but you would not be facing death."

"With all due respect," Byakuya said softly, inclining his head and closing his eyes, "I would rather die and have the truth be known, than to sink into cowardice and merely recite the lies everyone expects to hear. I came here to make known the truth. Not everyone will enjoy hearing it...but it is the truth."

"Very well, then," the head councilor said in that same warning tone, "Let it be recorded that Kuchiki taichou has refused a plea agreement. Kuchiki taichou, you are free to argue your case."

"Arigatou, Head Councilor," the noble said respectfully, "I wish first to call upon Kyouka Suigetsu as a witness."

He paused and took a steadying breath, then continued.

"In my original testimony, I explained to the council that it was my perception that Aizen Sousuke had not set out to become the traitor he later became. I remind you now that he was young once, and had dreams and ambitions...a family...a home. But while still a child, he was identified by Central 46 as being of notably strong power..._frighteningly_ strong power, I should say."

"Kuchiki taichou," said Fumio, the council's researcher, "I know for a fact that no Aizen Sousuke other than the one we all knew was ever investigated or interfered with by this council."

"No, not Aizen Sousuke. You are correct about that," Byakuya said, nodding, "He took the name Aizen Sousuke and concealed the true power of his Kyouka Suigetsu to hide himself after the Central 46 council of the time deemed him too dangerous and ordered his incarceration. He was only a child at the time."

"And you have evidence of this?" The head councilor asked sternly.

"I do," Byakuya affirmed softly, "I will present that momentarily. And in addition to that, I will have Kyouka Suigetsu testify as a witness to all that happened from that time to the creation of the hougyoku and the possession of Aizen Sousuke by that device."

"We will allow the evidence to be presented," said the head councilor, "However, you must understand that, as Kyouka Suigetsu is a being of illusion, it is doubtful that we could trust his word."

"You see now, my little harlot, don't you," Aizen said softly, "There is no way that you can win. I won't even try to stop what you are doing, because it is doomed to failure. I will be watching closely...enjoying every moment, as this council condemns you and you take the steps that will lead to your destruction, Byakuya. You never should have meddled with me. Now, you will lose everything!"

Byakuya turned and looked lovingly down into Aizen's hateful eye.

"No," he said, shaking his head gently, "I am not the one who is about to lose everything. It is you...Hougyoku!"

"Why do you speak to him as though you speak to the hougyoku?" asked one of the councilors.

"I speak to the hougyoku, because it is the hougyoku controlling him," Byakuya answered with certainty, "I know the heart of my lover, and this is not him. But all of you will see the truth very soon."

He turned to Senbonzakura, who met his eyes apprehensively.

_Master,_ the samurai's voice whispered into his mind, _Are you sure about this? They don't seem willing to listen. I sense so much antagonism, so much disbelief! How can we hope to overcome that?_

Byakuya's hand touched Sen's supportively.

_You will open their eyes. But Senbonzakura, be careful. If things go wrong, take Kyouka Suigetsu and retreat to our inner world. Do not worry about me. I have others to protect me._

_Ah...as you wish. But Master, be careful. I do not wish you to come to harm._

Byakuya looked up at the head councilor.

"Before reporting to the council chambers, I visited the Department of Research and Development," the noble said quietly, "And while there, I registered with the twelfth division taichou, the emergence of a new ability."

"A new ability?" the head councilor repeated, "What new ability is that?"

"This council is aware that my zanpakutou always manifests as a masked samurai. And for some time, I have been aware that if Senbonzakura removes his mask and I look upon his face, I see a reflection."

"A reflection? And how is this relevant to our current investigation? How will this prove that Kyouka Suigetsu speaks the truth?" asked the head councilor.

"Kurotsuchi taichou himself has verified and documented in the Department of Research and Development's zanpakutou files that upon viewing my Senbonzakura's revealed face, the truth of a soul is revealed in its entirety. And the content of that soul can be revealed to Senbonzakura or me...or we can reveal what we see to others. It is this power that we intend to use to validate Kyouka Suigetsu's testimony!"

Muttering voices rose up all around the room and the head councilor banged his gavel on the table to quiet them again.

"Kuchiki taichou," the man said, setting the gavel down, "The fact of your Senbonzakura's special ability is an important development, however, its appearance at this time is somewhat suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "You are saying that you will not accept the official seal of the Department of Research and Development that my zanpakutou possesses this ability?"

He went silent as wicked laughter seeped out from Aizen's lips and the traitor's one uncovered eye glinted in triumph.

"Well played, Byakuya," he said sarcastically, "But I think that the councilors in this room will not be fooled."

"What? What are you talking about?" Byakuya demanded.

"Oh," Aizen sighed silkenly, "That was so well planned out, my little princess, but these councilors are a step ahead of you. They know that my Kyouka Suigetsu is a treacherous thing. Having been taken into your inner world, he is certainly able to use his illusions to effect this seeming ability on Senbonzakura. And as you and all in this room have been hypnotized, none here can know if the projection of Senbonzakura's 'new ability' is real or false...not even Senbonzakura, himself!"

"I am sorry to say that Aizen Sousuke is correct," the head councilor said unhappily, "Kuchiki taichou, do you have any way to prove that Kyouka Suigetsu has not used his illusions to effect this seeming change on your zanpakutou?"

Byakuya caught his breath softly, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he felt his advantage in the situation disappearing.

"Kuchiki taichou?" the head councilor said again, "Perhaps you need a continuance to collect yourself and to determine the validity of Senbonzakura's ability."

"I..." Byakuya began, then paused, his heart aching in his chest.

"Kuchiki taichou, it is a continuance or we can rule now. But you must choose your path, or we have no choice but to invalidate..."

"No!" said a familiar, youthful male voice from the back of the gallery, "Byakuya is right. Kyouka Suigetsu isn't using his ability on Senbonzakura, nor is he using it on you, right now."

Byakuya inhaled sharply, turning and staring in surprise as a tall form standing in the back of the gallery removed his hooded cloak to reveal the shinigami substitute.

"Ichigo..." Byakuya said breathlessly, the color draining away from his face, "After what happened between the two of you...after everything, you...? You will...?"

"When I heard about the trial," Ichigo said more softly, "I didn't know what I should do. Aizen Sousuke nearly destroyed Karkura Town and he messed with the lives of too many people. No matter how I looked at the situation, I didn't think that I could ever forgive him, and more, I didn't see how I could ever do anything that might help him get free again."

Ichigo moved forward into the aisle and walked slowly towards Byakuya as he continued speaking in that same quiet tone.

"I gave _everything_ to the fight against him, and more than anyone, I know how frighteningly powerful he was. I had no reason, whatsoever...none, to help you or him."

"And yet, you are here," Byakuya whispered, "Why? You have already sacrificed so much. You are slowly losing your powers. Why would you help us?"

He looked into Ichigo's intense gaze, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

"I was your enemy once. I would have seen my own sister executed because of the lies this man told. We battled to the ends of our strength. I do not understand why you would stand with us now."

Ichigo continued to look into Byakuya's widened, gray eyes, his own softening as he went on.

"I learned something from those two battles...something that only I can know. When you and I fought, I was able to feel the heart behind your sword. I learned quickly that your heart wasn't in what you were doing. And in the days and weeks and months that followed, you and I slowly became friends. I know the person you are. I wouldn't be fooled by Aizen's illusions. I know without question that you would _never_ betray us."

He turned his head to look into Aizen's seething eye.

"I learned something from our battle too, Aizen Sousuke," he continued, "When I finally reached the point where I could feel the heart behind your sword, I could feel that your heart wasn't in our battle either."

"What is this nonsense?" Aizen hissed icily, "What are you talking about? Of course, my..."

"When I sensed your heart, I sensed solitude...loneliness."

Aizen stiffened.

"In the time after, I have struggled with that."

"Shut up!" Aizen growled, "Go back to the hole you crawled out of, Ryoka boy! No one here wants to listen to you!"

"But when the story about your relationship with Byakuya came out, things started to make more sense," Ichigo went on, ignoring him.

"Shut up!" Aizen fumed, struggling against his bonds, "You don't know _anything_, human! No one is going to believe you! Get out!"

"It would be bad enough to have terrible power and to be rejected and threatened with imprisonment as Byakuya has testified that you were..."

"Stop, you miserable weakling! You have no right to stand in my presence! I am greater than all of you put together! You cannot tie me down. You cannot stop me. Sooner or later, I will walk on your brittle, dead bones!"

"It must have been crushing to have won Byakuya's heart. You would have known what kind of man he is. You would have protected him from the evil in you...the evil that you created because of what they had done to you."

Under the weight of the seal, Aizen's reiatsu began to rise, making the room shake softly as Ichigo moved relentlessly forward.

"You would have protected him, and then the life that you and he created together...even as the thing you created to win justice for yourself turned out to be an evil thing that began to overcome you."

Aizen left off speaking, but the rumble under the seal grew louder and soft, nervous voices broke out around the chamber. Ichigo turned to the head councilor.

"Byakuya is telling you the truth. There is no illusion being used to deceive you. I know this because Kyouka Suigetsu has never hypnotized me before. What he says about Senbonzakura's ability is true. You should let Aizen's zanpakutou testify. I will stay to make sure that no illusion is used to lie to you. You have my word."

The room fell silent and still, but for the quaking of Aizen's reiatsu as it flared under the seal. Ichigo turned back to Byakuya, his eyes calm and friendly again.

"Go ahead," he said softly, "Now is your chance to clear your names. I'll make sure that nothing stops you. Trust me."

A small, gratified smile touched the edges of the Kuchiki clan leader's lips as he closed his eyes and nodded in acceptance.

"Arigatou, Kurosaki Ichigo," he said softly, "Again, I am in your debt. And I understand finally the full portent of what it means to become part of your nakama. I am honored."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said, taking a more relaxed stance and smiling at the noble, "Just do what you have to do. And whatever happens, know that you aren't facing this alone. Rukia, Renji, Tetsuya and I are all behind you."

"Again, arigatou," Byakuya said, turning to look up at the head councilor.

"You make a compelling argument," he told the shinigami substitute, "And given that you have just saved Soul Society and that you have no reason to protect Aizen Sousuke, we will accept what you have said and place our faith in the testimony of Kyouka Suigetsu. We know that you will inform us immediately if he departs from truth at any point."

"I will," Ichigo promised.

Byakuya turned and looked down into Aizen wickedly burning eye, searching it for some sign of his lover.

"You must hold it back," he warned Aizen, "It will do whatever it has to, now that it feels threatened."

Aizen's reiatsu roared beneath the seal, shaking the room harder as Kyouka Suigetsu released Senbonzakura's hand and stepped forward. He looked up at the shielded councilors and swallowed hard, glancing back once at Byakuya's zanpakutou.

"For my testimony, I will allow Senbonzakura to use his special power to validate the truth of my words," he said softly, "I will tell you everything you want to know..._everything_."

He waited as Senbonzakura stepped forward and slowly reached up to remove his mask. Kyouka Suigetsu parted his lips to go on, but was drowned out as Aizen's power flared again and the seal on the hougyoku shattered. The bonds holding the traitor down exploded and Aizen rose, glaring at the two zanpakutou spirits. Above them, the Central 46 councilors threw themselves to the ground behind their protective barriers. Hard, maniacal laughter filled the smoky chamber as the hougyoku-possessed Aizen turned his wrath on Byakuya and the two zanpakutou spirits. A huge, fiery blast erupted from Aizen's outstretched hand and swallowed up the three, sending everyone else in the room diving to the floor as he loosed his destructive force on the chamber.

"Die, you pathetic fools!" Aizens' voice hissed, "You have no idea who you are dealing with...and now, it is going to cost you _everything_!"


	34. Soul Desire

**Chapter 34: Soul Desire**

**(Thanks so much to everyone reading and supporting this story! This is dangerously close to the end. My extreme gratitude to Sariniste (See, I know what will make you smile!), Baby-Ayatane (Oh, Aizen/Bya spawn will be dangerous, no doubt! I imagine Central 46 will be kept very, very busy!), RozyDigzzz23 (You've got it, kiddo! Here's more and just wait until the next!), and MissLilly2012 (Okay, here's the big reveal!) Enjoy the chapter everyone!)**

The hougyoku possessed Aizen Sousuke stood calmly in the center of the ruined Central 46 chambers, gazing triumphantly at the sprawled, motionless forms all around the room, then down at the charred, lifeless wreckage that had been Kuchiki Byakuya, and next to him, the broken remains of the two diminishing zanpakutous. Yet, strangely, although he had no qualms about taking the lives of the three, he felt the hard, furious throb of emotion that swelled inside Aizen's body at the sight of them. He paused, looking inward, surprised at the strength of the possessed man's response.

_What is wrong, Aizen Sousuke?_

_Is this not what you said that you wanted? The destruction of the Central 46 council? Revenge on the ones who ruined your life? Elevation to the very highest level, the one that I could give you? You were a being of great promise, in danger of being locked away. I shielded you. I protected you. I gave you the ability to evolve._

_You do not need these others. You never have. These weaklings are only going to leave you vulnerable, because they are not strong enough to survive. And you see how their deaths make you feel weak inside, ne? You do not want that weakness. Love me instead. I can lift you above these pathetic, useless beings. My power can raise you so that you are above them all...so that you are safe...so that they can never touch you again. You and I alone will rule the heavens. We will mold the worlds to our new design. All that you want the worlds to be, they will be. All of the things you desire will be yours. Only put your faith in me, follow me, and we will rise above them all!_

The hougyoku's voice went silent as Aizen stepped forward and slowly lowered himself onto his knees at Byakuya's side. His face and eyes painfully intense, he lifted the dead noble into his arms, staring down into his half-closed eyes and touching his tumbled hair gently.

"Byakuya."

_What is wrong? _the hougyoku asked softly, _Do you not seek to stand at the top? Were you not willing to give whatever it took to reach that place? That is why you created me, is it not? Weren't you alone? Weren't you going to be imprisoned if they found you? Didn't they try to ruin your life?_

"You promised that you would give them back," Aizen whispered in a stony voice, "Byakuya, Amaya and the child who had yet to draw its first breath. While it is true that I created you...for justice, for revenge, and to elevate myself so that no one could take away my freedom anymore, the truth is that your actions have little to do with gaining those things that I set out to achieve."

_What do you mean? I have only to allow you to evolve and we can have everything you wanted. Kurosaki Ichigo lies unconscious over there. He hasn't the power to stop you, nor does anyone here, in Soul Society or in all of the worlds put together! All that you must do is to..._

"I find it very ironic that you would ask me for my trust," Aizen mused, unable to tear his eyes away from his deceased lover, "As much as Byakuya loved me, he was wise enough not to trust me while I was in your thrall. He tried repeatedly to warn me about you, tragically unaware that it was already too late for me to escape you. But there was something that Byakuya had faith in. He had faith in the love that we felt for each other. And despite the ferocity of your power, he believed that he could help me to get free of you. His devotion to me, to us and to our children was absolute. Always, he fought honorably to protect those things."

_But he was weak, _the hougyoku reminded Aizen, _And you see now that depending on the weak for your happiness is foolish. They can be taken from you in the blink of an eye. They can betray you and shatter your heart any instant. But I...I will always be there to answer the call of your heart, Aizen Sousuke. Only wish it and I will answer those wishes. That is why you created me. That is why I exist. That is all I exist for...to grant the desires of those courageous enough to seek them._

"I used to believe that," Aizen whispered, still gazing sadly down at Byakuya's lovely face, "But that is a lie, and you know it."

_What? What are you saying?_

"You showed me in so many ways...and you told me, though I refused, for a long time, to hear it. You did not exist simply to grant others' wishes and desires. When I created you, I made you a sentient being, and in doing so, I not only gave you the ability to assist others in achieving their ambitions. As a sentient being, you have your own ambitions, something that was inconsequential to my thinking, at first, but which eventually led you to steal my daughter, and then Byakuya and our unborn child."

_You said that you wanted the power to ensure justice, to enable you to avenge what they had tried to do to you and to reshape the world the way it should be! I gave you that power! I made your desires come to life! You stood at the precipice of gaining everything that you wanted, but you were too weak to take that last step..._

"No," Aizen said quietly, "We both know that is not true."

Aizen stared down at the stone embedded in his chest, watching as the hougyoku's anger made it flare brightly.

"I was not too weak to become king."

_You were! You let your emotions..._

"My desires changed," Aizen said with certainty, "Did you listen to what Kurosaki Ichigo said? He said that he sensed solitude in my blade. And you know why that emotion was in my heart. Because, what I desired in that moment was to be with Byakuya, Amaya and the child that Byakuya was carrying. If you were truly only existing to give me my desires, you would have given me that. However...your own desires were so strong that you cast aside what I wanted and put your own desires first. You used me as a vessel to carry your soul while you sought your greatest desire!"

_You are saying that I sought to be king, myself? That is preposterous! I am your creation. I exist to...!_

"I created a sentient soul, and while the _power_ that I granted you was the power to bring to life the ambitions of those around you, as a sentient soul meant to do that, I had to also give you what every other sentient soul in the three worlds has."

_And what is that?_

"Free will," Aizen said, taking Byakuya's hand in his, "To be able to grant the wishes of others, you had to have the will to initiate your power to do that. But giving you free will meant that you could also choose _not_ to use your powers to help someone, or that you could misuse your powers, if you chose to. I knew, early on, and I sought to master you so that you would follow my wishes, even over your own. But, the truth is that while I was mastering you, you mastered me."

_What are you saying?_

"You studied me carefully," Aizen replied solemnly, "You learned everything about me. And once you knew everything, as I sought to control you, you gave me the illusion that I was doing so. But you were pulling strings all along, manipulating me, and trying desperately to keep me apart from the one person who would tempt me to abandon my goal of becoming king."

_That pathetic, insignificant..._

"Yes, you despise Byakuya," Aizen said, touching the hougyoku with a fingertip, "because once he entered my life, you realized that he could give me something that you couldn't."

_What are you talking about? My power can grant you anything you want! Anything!_

"You could not grant me Byakuya's heart, his love, his devotion, his willing sacrifice. You see, he was a sentient being. He had free will. He had to make the choice to love me or not _as he willed. _And Kuchiki Byakuya opened that doorway to me. He opened the door to his heart and he gave me everything I desired...love, devotion, companionship and a family."

_But you did not desire any of those things! You..._

"I admit that when I set out, I did not desire that kind of connection with anyone. But being with Byakuya changed my desires. It would have changed the course of my life. We could have been happy if you hadn't interfered. But you interfered repeatedly..."

_To protect YOU! _the hougyoku insisted, _You were straying away from your desires. I protected you from that...the way I have always protected you!_

"No. You were not protecting me. And ironically, you caused me to become blind to those who actually did have my interests at heart, who did recognize my desires, and sought to help me reach them. Byakuya...and...my own Kyouka Suigetsu."

_They could not...!_

"When those councilors tried to incarcerate me as a child, it was not you, but Kyouka Suigetsu who protected me from them and helped me escape. And when you began to take over and gain control of me, it was Kyouka Suigetsu and then Byakuya who tried to warn me. All along, these two have fought to defend me, and you knew that they could change my desires, and thus, thwart your own. So...not able to destroy them, yourself, you set _me_ on the path to doing so."

_No! I didn't! I only..._

"You tried to kill Byakuya by altering his body so that he became pregnant. And when he survived and Amaya was born, you saw the threat there and used me to take her away. You used the promise of returning her to keep me on the path to becoming king."

_You would have given up if I did not!_

"That...would have been my _choice_!" insisted Aizen, "But you wanted to thwart my will to protect your own! You stole our daughter and you used me against Byakuya, tormenting him until he was at the end of his wits, stealing away his memory, sealing him away and finally this. You did all of these things..."

_I do not want to be king. Why would I want that? I don't care about the three worlds or anyone in them! I...!"_

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "Finally, you yield the truth. I know that you do not want to be king. I also know why you sought to make me king. I know, you see, what you would have asked of me when I sat on the throne."

_You...know?_

"I do," Aizen said sedately, "You want the one thing that I, your creator, did not give you."

The room went silent, except for the soft crackle of small flames that still dotted the destroyed chamber.

"Life," Aizen said, stroking the hougyoku gently, "You were given a soul and sentience, the ability to make dreams and ambitions come to life. But I thought that by denying you your own 'life' in which to pursue your own ambitions, I would deny you having them. But, not only did you have desires, you acted on them, seeking the strongest person you could find, then seeking to make that person king. Because only the king could place you in the cycle of birth and rebirth that the rest of us go through."

_What are you talking about? Why would i want to be one of you? Why would I want to expose myself to dying? That would be..._

"You discovered something that was deeply painful for you to know...so painful, in fact, that you could not bear it."

_And what was that?_

"True power," Aizen breathed, "does not lie in the ability to thwart death, but in making every moment of _life _count. Because, only when we are alive can we realize our hopes and ambitions. And although I did not do so to be cruel, I was cruel in that I gave you the ability to hope and dream, without giving you the body to make those things happen. You compensated , then, by taking over the body and thwarting the will of the strongest person you could find. You sought to make that person king, so that he could give you your true desire. When all is said and done, you didn't want to be relegated to that crystal housing. You wanted to walk and talk like we do, to live, to fall in love, to eat, to sleep, to dream. Because life is the greatest of adventures, and we enjoy it in all of its fullness, because we know that it does not last forever. You can't be blamed for desiring that...no...it is a very natural and fitting desire. I owe you an apology. I see now how much of a burden I placed on you. I only wish that I had seen that before it led you to destroy the ones who mean everything to me. You are not alone, then, in having your dreams shattered, Hougyoku. I, too, have lost everything."

_But...all is not lost. I still have my powers and we are free again, ne? All we must do is to..._

"You do not have the power anymore to bring my hopes to life," Aizen said, kissing Byakuya on the forehead and holding him against his chest, "You cannot bring Byakuya and our child back to life, nor can you give me the future with them that I truly desire."

"But there are those of us here...who _can_," said a soft, male voice.

Aizen froze, staring.

_"Shatter_."

The chamber was suddenly filled with a sound like glass breaking as Kyouka Suigetsu's illusion faded away. Aizen Sousuke caught his breath in surprise as he found that he was still in his cell, alone with Byakuya and the two zanpakutou spirits, and his one uncovered eye was staring up at Senbonzakura's fully revealed face. A floating monitor hovered near the Kuchiki clan leader, its mechanical eye transmitting the images from within the cell to the Central 46 chambers.

"What? What...is this!" the hougyoku screamed, using Aizen's mouth, "What have you done? How did you do this? You small, insignificant little traitors! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You will do nothing of the sort," Byakuya said calmly, "You are still under Urahara Kisuke's seal. You never shattered it. It was all a very elaborate illusion that we used with the permission of the Central 46 council."

"What?"

"We knew that if we braced you in the Central 46 chambers, there were lesser protections and you could break free," Kyouka Suigetsu explained, "So, Byakuya went to the council and explained what he needed to do. Kurosaki Ichigo came with us and provided proof that I was not deceiving anyone and we set up the false hearing. You never left your cell, never broke free and never harmed any of us. You only believed that you had."

"And all of this," Senbonzakura said, locking eyes with Kyouka Suigetsu, "was so that I could use my power to show it was the truth when Aizen Sousuke revealed everything that happened."

"You _BASTARDS!_" howled the hougyoku, "Do you know what you have _done_? I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I won't stop until you all die!"

"You will not be able to do that," Byakuya said solemnly, "You can't. You are securely bound...imprisoned in Aizen Sousuke's body. Now...you can remain locked within him, dooming the both of you to an eternity of living here, in the depths of Muken, or you can take the invitation offered in this royal edict that has been brought to us by the royal guard."

"What? What are you saying?"

"_To the soul known as the hougyoku,_" Byakuya read,_ "I, Reio, king of the three worlds, have learned of your heart's desire. And as a sign of my good will, I offer the following. If you agree to vacate the body of Aizen Sousuke, freeing him to be pardoned and given immediately into the custody of the Kuchiki clan, I will confer upon you that which is most dear to you. Upon your emergence from Aizen Sousuke's body, you will be drawn into the cycle of birth and rebirth. There, you will become like all other souls...able to be born, to grow, and to seek what dreams you will. You will lose the burden of memory of having been the hougyoku, as well as the responsibility for making others' dreams come true, and will gain in exchange, free will for yourself and the ability to pursue what you will. Only separate yourself from Aizen Sousuke's body, and the crystal will shatter, freeing you._"

Byakuya turned his eyes onto the stone housed in Aizen's chest, stepping forward and reaching out to touch it with tentative fingertips.

"The choice is yours now," he said softly, turning his gaze on Aizen, "You must decide what impulse is stronger. What is more important to you? Continuing to force this man to seek kingship he clearly does not want and will never achieve for being locked away down here...or giving up this futile half-life you live and taking the hand of fate, along with the rest of us? Which will you choose...Hougyoku?"

Aizen's uncovered eye flickered dangerously, glowed brightly, then returned to its normal dark brown and gazed down at the crystal embedded in his chest. Byakuya and the two zanpakutou spirits stared breathlessly while the hougyoku began to pulse and throb beneath the seal as the spirit within warred with itself. The Central 46 councilors waited safely in their chambers, watching the four on their monitors and waiting silently to witness what would happen.

"Byakuya," Aizen whispered, "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I..."

Aizen Sousuke broke off, going silent again as power swelled around the stone in his chest, flashed blindingly, then slowly faded. All eyes watched as the crystal went dark, then slowly crumbled and fell to the floor, making a small pile of gray ash.

_Farewell, my creator, _the hougyoku's voice whispered into Aizen's mind, _I am relieved that there was a way for us both to realize our desires._


	35. Are We Dreaming Again?

**Chapter 35: Are We Dreaming Again?**

"You were saying something, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked quietly, his words echoing softly off of the cell walls.

Aizen Sousuke stared down at the opening in his chest, where the hougyoku had been embedded, watching as the hole slowly closed and the hougyoku's presence disappeared from his suddenly peaceful mind.

"Byakuya," he whispered, spellbound as the noble's pale hands carefully removed the bonds that held him.

The noble helped him stand and the two faced the monitor that had been following the events within the cell. The face of the Central 46 head councilor appeared and he nodded briefly in acknowledgement.

"Kuchiki taichou," he said solemnly, "It is obvious to this gathering that the hougyoku did, indeed, coerce Aizen Sousuke, using possession, extortion and threats against his family to compel him to act against us. And researching the name you provided us with, we were able to find evidence that the council in place at the time in question, did examine and attempt to incarcerate this man without cause. So, we have voted to issue the following judgments. Aizen Sousuke is found guilty of creating the abomination known as the hougyoku, as well as the murders of the Central 46 councilors before his defection from the Gotei 13. He is also found guilty, once again, of having committed the crimes that led to his incarceration in Muken. However...we acknowledge that it was the unlawful activity of the councilors from the previous council that interfered with Aizen Sousuke's family and caused him to both make the hougyoku and to slaughter the councilors who had betrayed his trust. While not absolving him of responsibility for his actions, this certainly demands that we consider Aizen Sousuke a 'monster' that was created by those illegal actions. As such, we feel that re-sentencing is appropriate, in this case."

He paused for a moment, turning his eyes to look down at Byakuya.

"Kuchiki taichou, you have been found by this council to be guilty of having sexual relations with a superior officer, of concealing incriminating information in the matter of Aizen Sousuke's zanpakutou, both in not revealing its true power before, and in concealing the spirit, itself, prior to this meeting of council. You are cleared of the charges of high treason and obstruction of justice as the council has determined that whatever you might have known, you were not empowered to take action while Aizen was your senior officer. You are hereby sentenced to six months under house arrest at your estate, and are allowed to leave only for emergency Gotei 13 meetings, and then must be accompanied by Kuchiki house guards. Before you leave, you will be fitted with a monitoring device to ensure your adherence to our ruling."

"Of course," said the noble, sighing inwardly in relief, "I thank you for your lenience."

"And now," the head councilor went on, "To the matter of Aizen Sousuke's re-sentencing. It is the will of this council that, due to the interference of the hougyoku in Aizen's crimes as well as the destruction of the hougyoku, that he be released from the Central 46 prison and remanded into the custody of the Kuchiki family. As evidence shows a clear and longstanding relationship between Kuchiki Byakuya and Aizen Sousuke...one that has, in fact, produced children, this council recognizes Kuchiki Byakuya as Aizen Sousuke's common law husband and only known kin, which therefore burdens the Kuchiki family with the housing and control of that man. But heed this warning. Should Aizen Sousuke ever re-offend or be proven to make further plans against our society, he is to be returned without trial to Muken, from which he will never be freed."

The head councilor glared down at Aizen.

"Aizen Sousuke, because you were terribly wronged by our brethren and it caused you to create the horror known as the hougyoku, you have this one chance to right yourself and to live a peaceful life as a member of the Kuchiki family. But your freedom depends upon your agreement to adhere to the laws of our society. So, in order to accept our ruling, we require that you vow to do so."

"I see," Aizen said, meeting the head councilor's eyes through the monitor, "And my answer to you is this...As long as my rights and those of my husband and children are respected, I will have no reason to take any further action against you. But...should anyone dare to attempt to interfere with us, I will take what action is needed to protect my family...from _any_ aggressor."

"I understand," the head councilor answered, frowning, "although I do not appreciate your impertinence. Go then, before you give this council reason to detain you here!"

The monitor crackled and went black, leaving the cell dark and quiet. Aizen turned to the two zanpakutou spirits and met Kyouka Suigetsu's weary eyes.

"Kyouka Suigetsu," he said solemnly, "I am grateful for your assistance. I will understand if after what happened, you do not wish to return to me, but would rather remain bonded to Byakuya and Senbonzakura so that they can sustain you."

"Bonded with...?"

"Come now, Byakuya," Aizen said softly, "You must have realized long ago that what formed between us was extraordinary, ne?"

"But..."

"When the hougyoku first used you, when it caused your body to be altered so that you could carry Amaya, the way it accomplished that was to open wide the pathways between our souls. It did not see the danger of doing so, because it did not expect you to live. The hougyoku was shocked when you did and quickly realized the strength of the bond those open pathways between us fostered. As Amaya grew inside you, the bonds between us strengthened, and through everything, they continued to grow stronger until our very souls were as one. After that point, we could not truly be parted. After that time, our hearts beat as one, even when we were far from each other. We would have been drawn to each other, even without the hougyoku, but what it did for us was to allow us to connect in a way that living souls usually cannot. And having that connection means that you and Senbonzakura can also sustain and use the powers of Kyouka Suigetsu. Also, Kyouka Suigetsu and I can sustain and use the powers of Senbonzakura."

"I see," said Byakuya, looking at the green eyed spirit questioningly.

"So," Aizen went on, "As I have betrayed the trust of my own zanpakutou, I will not expect he will return, but I will ask it. Kyouka Suigetsu, do you wish to return to me?"

Kyouka Suigetsu looked back at Aizen through guarded eyes, considering. Finally, he nodded in acceptance.

"I will return to you...but...do not expect I will trust you."

Aizen found himself smiling at the answer.

"You have become wiser in the time we were parted, Kyouka Suigetsu."

Kyouka Suigetsu smiled briefly, then slowly faded from view. Senbonzakura exchanged glances with Byakuya.

"Congratulations, my master," the spirit said warmly, "You have everything that you wanted now, ne?"

Byakuya gave him a tentative smile and nodded.

"I do. But I could not have convinced the Central 46 council of anything if not for you, Senbonzakura. You and Kyouka Suigetsu have certainly proven your loyalty. Go then. Take care of him."

"Yes, Master," the spirit said, fading from view.

As the light around Senbonzakura winked out, Byakuya and Aizen were left gazing at each other in the half-light of the cell. Byakuya stepped forward, folding himself into his lover's waiting arms.

"It is over," he sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head wearily on Aizen's warm shoulder, "It is finally over. That thing is gone and you and I have nothing left to keep us apart."

"Yes," Aizen said, tightening his arms around the noble and burying his face in a tumble of silken black hair, "For the first time, we have a future to look forward to, ne Byakuya?"

"We do," Byakuya whispered.

Aizen lifted his head and smirked at the noble.

"So, the Central 46 council declares that we are common law spouses...spouses without a ceremony?"

"They do," Byakuya said, shifting to look into Aizen's affectionate eyes, "However, my clan will require a formal wedding, if we are to remain married."

"I see. And this pleases you?"

"Honestly?" Byakuya said softly, "I don't care about the wedding at all. All that matters to me is that we are going home to our Amaya, and we will raise her and this other child together."

He looked up into Aizen's dark brown eyes questioningly.

"I know that our home is a much smaller domain than the three worlds, the souls we will protect are less in number and the only heart you will command will be mine. But if that can be enough for you, Sousuke, I want you to come home with us. Abandon your revenge against those who hurt you, forget your bitterness over the past, leave that place of solitude that the hougyoku required of you, and embrace this small miracle we created amidst the torrent of the past hundred years."

Aizen sighed and closed his eyes.

"But am I not just trading one cell for another? Won't your elders require all manner of controls to keep me from offending again?"

"Actually," said the noble, "although certainly, you will be required to be accompanied by guards when you leave the manor..._for your protection, _of course, while at our home, you will be free to go where you wish within the estate. And when you lie down, the only walls that will confine you are the ones in our bedroom. Incarceration in the family prison will not be necessary, _as long as you behave yourself._"

"Ah," Aizen chuckled, smirking, "I shall try to do that, but you know I really am a wicked man at heart."

"You are," Byakuya agreed, "But you need motivation to create the desire to offend. And I defy you to look into our children's eyes and try to find a reason to do that ever again."

"Ah, you have me, I am afraid," Aizen laughed softly, "I must confess, I have no desire to scheme at the moment. My only desire is to hold our daughter, and to lie down with you and love you without the interference of that dastardly voice in my head."

"I think that both of those desires can be fulfilled. If you are ready to leave this place, then come, Sousuke. Let us go home."

Aizen looked back at the seat he had occupied, the released bindings, and then the small pile of ash that had been the hougyoku's housing.

"Very well, then. Let us go home, Byakuya."

He slipped an arm around the noble and the two approached the cell door. The door clanked open and the two proceeded past the glaring guards. They walked past the checkpoints, level by level, rising up out of the depths of the prison and emerging into the light, where a crowd of people waited. Tetsuya stood alongside Rukia and Renji, at the head of the group, one hand resting on Arashi's shoulder. Behind them stood the full complement of Kuchiki elders, followed by nearly all of the house guards. Tetsuya bowed respectfully as they approached.

"Byakuya-sama, welcome back. Congratulations on proving your case. If you will, Arashi will carry the two of you back to Kuchiki Manor."

"Thank you, Tetsuya," Byakuya said, moving to Arashi's side and climbing onto the stallion.

He offered a hand to Aizen, who accepted it and mounted, settling behind him. Byakuya looked down at the gathered nobles with a grateful expression.

"I thank you for your escort home. I imagine that, given all that happened, it is going to take time for others to accept the ruling of the Central 46 council. I shall be depending on all of you to keep us safe as everyone adjusts."

"The elders support you," said the head elder, Nori, "However, you must understand that our own feelings about this man are, at this moment, mixed. We do not trust him as you do."

"Nor should you," said Aizen, "You are wise to remain skeptical. I am not offended."

"Byakuya-sama," said Tetsuya, "Your house guards stand ready to protect you, and so do I."

"Thank you, Tetsuya."

"I'm here for you too, Taichou," said Renji, bowing his head respectfully, "But you'll have to forgive me if I can't forget what that man did to all of us. Hougyoku or no hougyoku, he's dangerous. And if he _ever _hurts you again, Nothing will stop me from destroying him."

"Thank you, Abarai," Byakuya said quietly.

"Nii-sama, I am with you too," added Rukia, "Whatever you need."

"I am grateful. But, what Sousuke and I need right now is to go home and settle in. the coming days will be chaotic at best, so we will need to gather our strength. All of us."

Byakuya turned the stallion towards home, proceeding slowly as the gathered people parted to make way for them and the house guards moved out ahead of them to clear the pathway. Aizen's arms wrapped around Byakuya's waist and his hands slipped beneath the noble's clothing to rub his abdomen gently. Byakuya let his weight rest against the other man's chest, his eyes closing as he relied on Arashi to carry them home.

"You look happy, for once, watashi no koi," Aizen whispered, warming a pale earlobe and making it blush lightly, "It is good to see you unburdened."

"It is good to have that weight off of my shoulders. It is even better to think on tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," repeated Aizen, smirking, "I thought that you would be focused on _tonight_!"

A sly smile touched the noble's lips.

"Ah, yes, tonight," he whispered back, "Shall I be prepared to receive a 'visitor into my room tonight?"

"We shall see, ne?" Aizen chuckled, "I just hope that you do not plan to refuse me."

"As you said, we shall see," Byakuya said, smirking back over his shoulder, "But if I refuse you, will you have the restraint to wait another night as before?"

"I do not suggest you do that," Aizen said warningly, "I could lose control and become violent."

"I don't fear you, Aizen Sousuke," Byakuya said, turning his head slightly to receive the other man's kiss.

"Yes, you have always been reckless that way, haven't you?" Aizen said, falling silent as the entourage reached the manor.

Aizen slid to the ground, then helped Byakuya down. The noble turned to address several attendants who had appeared.

"Torio, please prepare my private bath. And Koji, you will bathe and dress Sousuke for bed."

"Hai, Byakuya-sama!" the two youths said together.

"Matsuko," Byakuya said, addressing an elderly woman, "You will please prepare a meal to be served later in my room."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama."

"Ah, but I would prefer it if we bathed together," said Aizen, "I do so love seeing you naked and tantalizingly covered in lather, you know."

"We must follow the rules of propriety," Byakuya said coyly, "Until we are officially wed, such a thing would be inappropriate."

"I see that you still enjoy teasing me," Aizen answered, glaring softly.

"We can meet _for tea_ later, after we bathe," suggested the noble.

Byakuya turned away, proceeding to his bedroom and standing quietly as Torio undressed him, then bathed him thoroughly before dressing him again in a lovely, dark red yukata. His attendant bowed and left the room, while Byakuya turned out of the dressing area and walked back into his bedroom. A moment later, the inner door opened and Matsuko and a second female attendant entered, carrying several trays of food that they set down beside the bed, before bowing and taking their leave of him. Byakuya watched the door close behind them, then turned towards the garden doors. He caught his breath softly, spotting a handsome, masked man outside his bedroom. In one hand, he carried a beautiful black rose.

Byakuya walked to the closed glass doors and paused, gazing through them.

"The masked stranger returns," he commented softly.

"Will you open the doors, Byakuya?" Aizen asked, his eyes glinting softly.

"What if I will not? What will you do?" Byakuya asked.

Aizen stood for a moment, glaring through the eye slits in the mask and considering. Byakuya's breath left him as the moment ended and the doors between the two suddenly shattered. A blazing flash step sounded and Byakuya was captured in Aizen's arms and brought forcefully down onto the bed. He stared up at Aizen's masked face through beautifully surprised, widened eyes, panting softly, then reached up a hand and pulled it free.

"My apologies, Byakuya," Aizen said, smirking, "You see, while you were somewhat of a mystery before and that gave me the ability to restrain myself, I know you now. I have forgotten all restraint and will be with you until the end. And any doors or walls that rise up between us will suffer the swift, punishing fate that those did. You hd best remember that."

Byakuya tried to answer, but found himself incapable and his lover's hands tore their clothes away and his body was swiftly and almost brutally possessed. Aizen's mouth came down on his, devouring the sound of pain mixed with pleasure that escaped him as he was roughly penetrated.

The reiatsu around the two rose wildly, warning away the house guards and attendants roused when the doors had shattered. They stood quietly in the gardens, observing the flashes of intermittent light and power that erupted from within the clan leader's room, then shook their heads in grudging acceptance and turned away to return to their tasks.

Within the bedroom, Aizen Sousuke glared down into Byakuya's dark, lovely eyes, watching as they flickered with desire and slowly became even darker and more dangerously feral. His pretty mouth snapped at Aizen's quirked lips, feasting upon them as his hips rose off the bed to meet his lover's heavy, grinding thrusts. Pearly nails dug into Aizen's tensed shoulders, creating erotic stings as their bodies raged furiously against each other.

"Now, this is the lover I remember," Aizen panted appreciatively, "The one that they tried to tame, but he defied them all."

"I will defy anyone and any_thing_ that tries to separate us!" Byakuya hissed in his ear, "I love you, Sousuke. I won't let anything ever take you away from us again."

Aizen's smile widened as he pulled away for a moment, flipping the noble onto his belly and entering him again from behind. He gripped Byakuya's slender hips, thrusting in deeply and gasping in pleasure as his lover's body tightened around his inflamed member. Byakuya loosed a howl of pleasure, his body shaking furiously and his reiatsu exploding around the two as he climaxed violently. The beautiful sound and the feel of the noble's body collapsing beneath him, sent Aizen's body into a quaking release, his own reiatsu swelling and rocking the already shaken room. He fell down next to Byakuya, his heart beating madly as he sought the noble's lips for a steamy bout of finishing kisses.

"It feels right," Aizen whispered, "coming back to you...to this place, Byakuya."

"This is the place where our mutual obsession began," Byakuya whispered back, "and it will always be our home, Sousuke."

**(Yup, this is the end. But good news for those aching to see an Aizen/Bya wedding and more development of their family. There will be a sequel to this...in fact, this could turn into a series of stories like the Pieces of a Shattered Moon Bya/Ren's. Aizen will continue to be himself. He won't lose his edge, even being married and having kids. These two will get into mountains of trouble together, beginning soon in the soon to be named sequel to this story...Thanks for reading! Starfire loves ya!)**


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